The Miami, Broward, & Palm Beach Chapters of the Florida Engineering Society recently organized an event where Mr. Sean Williams, Bureau Chief at the South Florida Water Management District, discussed the district’s new engineering contracts. CMA Project Engineer Vincent Locigno, P.E. played a key role in planning and coordinating the event. Highlights included insights into Restoration Strategies, CERP Projects, and O&M Capital Program. Other CMA attendees were: Jose L. Acosta, P.E., F.ASCE, Mike Albert, P.E., Jessica Diaz, P.E., Shahin Hekmat, P.E., F.FES, FACEC and Laura Vogel, P.E., ENV SP. The event was held at the Signature Grand in Davie on January 31^st.

CMA staff members Madeline Batey, E.I., Rob Best, P.E. and Charmaine Emanuels, P.E. attended the ASCE-FL Section Student Symposium in Orlando on Saturday February 10th. They spoke with students from universities throughout the state of Florida. Charmaine and Madeline were speakers at the Young Member Forum, and Rob participated in a Hiring Panel.

CMA sponsored the 10th Annual FES Race for Relevance, held February 1 at the at the Autobahn Indoor Speedway in Jacksonville. The Race for Relevance is a fundraising event created to encourage youth to engage in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). All the proceeds raised from the event go towards the Chapter’s scholarship fund. Team CMA racers included Freeman Bass, P.E.; Brad Wilson, P.E.; Chris Gearhart, P.E.; Devon Cox; Maddie Batey, E.I.; Alex Farfan, E.I.; Phuoc Nguyen and grandstand attendees were Jennifer Smith, P.E. and Floyd Fasking, P.E.

CMA ranked 13th in the South Florida Business Journal Top 25 Engineering Firms List! The list includes the top 25 engineering firms located in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties ranked in order by number of licensed engineers. Congratulations! https://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/

CMA staff members Brad Wilson, P.E.; Jason Sutton, PLA; Mike Bell, P.E.; and Ben Lehr, P.E., LEED AP participated in the 5^th Annual Northeast Florida Construction Career Days Clay Shoot on January 25th at Jacksonville Clay Target Sports. CMA served as a silver sponsor for the event.

CMA Principal Engineer Jennifer Smith, P.E. and Director of Energy Freeman Bass, P.E. attended the Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University/Florida State University College of Engineering Career Fair on January 23 in Tallahassee. https://eng.famu.fsu.edu/

CMA attended the FES/ACEC Professional Engineer Legislative Days throughout Florida.  The events were held January 10 and attendees met most of the legislators and/or staff that represent Florida. Our CMA representatives were: Ben Lehr, P.E. (Tampa), Freeman Bass, P.E. (Jacksonville), Brent Whitfield, P.E., ENV SP and David Cowan, P.E., ENV SP (Palm Beach), Shahin Hekmat, P.E., F.FES, FACEC and Jose L. Acosta, P.E., F.ASCE (Miami Dade) and Peter Moore, P.E., F.ASCE, FACEC (Broward).

CMA is proud to recap our participation in community service events from 2023 and we look forward to how we can help our communities more in 2024! Our projects from 2023 include:

• Martin Luther King, Jr. Day – staff prepared care packages at Provident Park in Fort Lauderdale.
• Give Kids the World – staff joined the local FES chapter at GKTW serving dinner to the children and their families.
• Shared Meal Event hosted by HOPE South Florida – staff prepared and served approximately 150 hot meals to homeless individuals at Vision of Hope Family Worship Center in Fort Lauderdale.
• Waterway Adventures Kayak Intracoastal Cleanup – staff collected six bags of trash in Hollywood.
• Food Drive for Feeding South Florida (Boynton Beach)- staff helped by cutting and prepping onions, red peppers and celery for meals to be distributed in the South Florida area.
• Sleep in Heavenly Peace (FES Palm Beach Branch)– staff were responsible for building, assembling, and delivering top-notch bunk beds to children and families in need.
• Broward Education Foundation (BEF) School Drive – staff raised $500 to go toward supplying bags of supplies to the Adopt-a-School program in Broward County to support BEF’s mission for the 2023 new school year.
• International Coastal Cleanup – staff collected a total of 70 pounds of trash in Miami and Hollywood beaches.
• Broward Education Foundation School Drive – staff passed out free backpacks with school supplies to children attending Castle Hill Elementary School. These backpacks were purchased with the $500 raised by CMA in July.
• Habitat for Humanity of Broward, Fort Lauderdale – staff assisted with painting the interior of a single-family home.
• Food Drive – Fort Lauderdale staff donated over 100 items to Ruth Ministry.
• November Coastal Cleanup – staff participated in a coastal cleanup at the John D. MacArthur Beach State Park.
• Feeding Florida Holiday Drive – staff donated over $500 to Feeding Florida.
• Adopt-a-Family of the Palm Beaches – staff collected gifts for the holiday season and donated to selected families in need.