Citizen Climate Advisory Committee advances draft climate action plan; board hears plan for youth voting member and a November climate festival

Alachua County staff told commissioners June 10 that the county’s Citizen Climate Advisory Committee (CCAC) has reviewed chapter drafts of a draft Climate Action Plan and will recommend adding a youth voting member and an alternate to the committee.

Jennison Kippserse, the county’s resiliency specialist and staff liaison to the CCAC, briefed the board on committee membership changes, the schedule of chapter reviews, and next steps for finalizing the plan. Kippserse said the CCAC’s work included deep reviews of individual chapters—water, waste and materials management, natural resources, energy, land use and transportation, flood resilience and infrastructure, public health, agriculture, and an introduction/overview chapter—so staff and the committee could ensure the plan’s recommendations are practical and stakeholder-informed.

The CCAC’s fiscal-year priorities included providing focused input on the draft Climate Action Plan, hosting outreach to municipalities and community stakeholders, and supporting the county’s climate summit. Kippserse said the November climate summit drew about 170 attendees and the county plans a larger “climate festival” on Nov. 15, 2025, with food‑systems programming.

Kippserse also described next steps: finalizing language in the draft plan, producing a public-facing climate portal and dashboard to track implementation, and advertising five upcoming vacancies on the CCAC (including the new youth voting member aged 16–21 and an alternate). She said the draft Climate Action Plan and a public comment portal are available on the Environmental Protection Department’s web pages for residents to review and submit feedback.

Commissioners asked about outreach to youth organizations and about technical options for a public dashboard. Several commissioners suggested leveraging local university capstone teams and the University of Florida to help with app or dashboard development; staff said the county is evaluating a Zen City platform as an option and is open to complementary phone‑friendly apps and other local partnerships.

Kippserse and commissioners said the CCAC will remain engaged as staff prepares a final plan for adoption and continues stakeholder outreach.

Speakers

- Jennison Kippserse — Resiliency Specialist, Environmental Protection Department (staff liaison to CCAC). - Commissioner Alford — Alachua County Commissioner. - Commissioner Wheeler — Alachua County Commissioner. - Commissioner Prizia — Alachua County Commissioner.

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Why this matters

The draft Climate Action Plan will guide county mitigation and adaptation actions and prioritize funding and collaborative projects. Adding a youth voting member and creating a dashboard are part of a broader plan to make the document actionable and to keep implementation visible and accountable to residents.

Searchable tags: ["climate-action-plan","CCAC","Alachua County","youth-engagement","climate-festival"]