The Opening Plenary set an engaging and inspiring tone, blending personal reflection with scientific insight and a shared commitment to ocean stewardship. Three distinguished speakers with more than four decades of combined experience shared a powerful narrative tracing the ecological history of the Florida Keys and challenging us to renew our dedication to protecting our oceans for future generations. Sessions that followed featured nearly 130 talks and posters from researchers and practitioners working throughout the Florida Keys, Florida Bay, and Biscayne Bay. Presenters shared innovative research and on-the-ground initiatives, deepening our collective understanding of the region’s marine resources and fostering cross-disciplinary collaboration.

The Closing Workshop on Thursday facilitated by Joy Hazell of FNRLI brought together scientists, managers, resource users, and community stakeholders to co-develop a shared vision for the future of the Florida Keys marine ecosystem. Through structured discussions and collaborative exercises, participants explored what ecological and socioeconomic “success” could look like for this unique and rapidly changing region—and what it will take to achieve it. Outcomes from the workshop will help identify key research priorities, guide future partnerships, and shape a unified path toward long-term resilience and sustainability for the Florida Keys ecosystem in the face of accelerating change.

Speaker and poster presentations are linked throughout the table as PDFs. If a presentation is not included for a particular presenter, we did not receive permission to post their file(s).