Amid a scourge of pollution a half-century ago, the United States and Florida passed bedrock water legislation with the Clean Water Act at the federal level and the state’s sweeping water and land-management laws of 1972, some of the strongest in the country. As we approach the fiftieth anniversary of these water laws and celebrate their triumphs, our waters face new challenges. Florida-based author Cynthia Barnett has written four books

Rick Kilby will discuss his latest book, Florida’s Healing Waters: Gilded Age Mineral Springs, Seaside Resorts & Health Spas, a historical account of a little-known time in Florida history when tourists poured into the state in search of good health. Kilby will explore the phenomena of “taking the waters” during a golden age of bathing in Florida when the state was a prime destination for visitors seeking restoration and romance

Our current waters are rising and getting warmer. They fuel the intensification of hurricanes and the flooding of our lands. Art helps to create a conversation by making the invisible visible. Carol Mickett and Robert Stackhouse, a team of artists, will carry you through their fascination with water and water-related phenomenon and issues through this presentation. You will see some of their early work through to their current work from

The Gulf of Mexico is the ninth-largest body of water in the world. While also a critical space for commercial activity, the gulf also serves as the home for a host of bird and wetland species. Jack E. Davis, Professor of History and Rothman Family Chair in the Humanities at the University of Florida, will share how the Gulf of Mexico plays an integral part of the nation’s environmental story.