President’s Message: October 2024

ACEC Florida President Andy Lauzier, PE

To the ACEC Florida Community,

While preparing my fourth President’s message, I am reminded of the advice I received from so many Past Presidents of ACEC Florida about how fast your term as President goes and how many things our organization accomplishes every year. So, as I enter month five of my tenure as President, I wanted to look back at some of ACEC Florida’s goals for this year.

FES| ACEC Florida Building

Both the ACEC Florida and FES Boards have voted to move forward with the potential sale and relocation of our HQ building in Tallahassee. Just this week, a newly formed Building Committee began the process of engaging a real estate professional to help us address this important issue for both societies.

Expand ACEC Florida’s Alignment with ACEC National

Approximately 22 of our members attended the ACEC Fall Conference in New Orleans in October. This annual event was once again an opportunity to meet and learn from other professionals around the country and gain insights into how other states are addressing similar issues and challenges that we, in Florida, are also addressing. One of my takeaways was that everyone I talked with was focused on workforce challenges and technology. (As a bonus, three Florida members won money in the ACEC PAC Fall sweepstakes!) The National Committees, which align very closely with our ACEC Florida Committees, were a great place to exchange ideas and learn from each other.

Finances

ACEC Florida and FES are working together with an independent accounting firm to continue improving the timeliness of our financial reporting and ensure that both organizations are fiscally strong and responsible.

Engagement with Clients and the Public

Much of this work is done at the local level through our Regional Directors. If you want to see ACEC Florida in action, I encourage you to reach out to your Regional Director and attend one of these local meetings. A couple of the recent activities in Region 3 (East Central) included:

• An evening with FDOT District 5 Secretary Tyler and his directors
• On-going discussions with Orange County staff regarding potential changes and improvements to their procurement process for Professional Engineering services

All our Regional Directors are looking for opportunities to provide these types of events and opportunities to their local members, so please reach out to them:

Douglas R. Barkley, PE – Region 1 (Panhandle)
Peter J. Sheridan, III, PE – Region 2 (North)
Scott D. Perfater, PE – Region 3 (East Central)
Dawn Ratican, PE – Region 4 (West Central)
Stanley Delmas, PE – Region 5 (Treasure Coast)
Gary Nadeau, PE – Region 6 (Southwest)
Victor H. Herrera, PE – Region 7 Florida (Gold Coast)

Continued Development of ACEC Florida’s Committees

Our committees are active and meet regularly. Some of these meetings are in person (such as the Transportation Committee meeting next week in Orlando, which will have over 100 attendees), and others are hybrid or hold Zoom meetings. This is the best way for each of you to engage with other professionals in your particular area of interest. Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to have breakfast with Allen Douglas and a Senior Executive from a firm interested in joining ACEC Florida. We talked extensively about our committees and their work, and I know they will be joining ACEC Florida very soon.

Earlier this week, the ACEC Florida and FES Board of Directors met in Tampa, where we kicked off the 2025 Class for the Florida Engineering Leadership Institute (FELI). At our Board meeting, we also approved the first members of the Emerging Leaders Board, which will allow 21 of our younger members to begin getting exposure to our organization and learn how they can participate and contribute.

In closing, I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge that our country elected national, state, and local leaders through our election process earlier this month. To quote my friend Dr. Charles Davis (from his November FES President’s Message), “There is no more fundamental value than the right of every eligible voter to be able to cast their ballot. Never doubt that your vote is powerful, but it must be exercised to remain so.”

As we move towards 2025, please know that ACEC (both Nationally and here in Florida) will remain committed to our mission of strengthening the business of engineering for our members through advocacy, political action, education, and growth opportunities.

With the holidays just around the corner, I wish each of you and your family peace, joy, and happiness this holiday season.

Sincerely,

Andre’ (Andy) Lauzier, PE (FL, GA)
Senior Vice President | Transportation Planning and Design Director
HDRinc.com | andy.lauzier@hdrinc.com