The Florida Sea Grant Advisory Council is comprised of leaders from the private sector, non-governmental organizations, local governments, and state and federal agencies who are actively engaged in issues related to the sustainable management of Florida’s coastal and marine economies and natural resources.

They serve a term of four years, concurrent with the timeline of the four-year strategic plan, and they generously provide their time, knowledge, experiences and ideas to help Florida Sea Grant maintain excellence and relevance in its research, extension and education at state, regional and national levels. We sincerely thank the council members for their willingness to help the program.

Council Membership 2009-2013

• Bob Aylesworth, Council Chair, Owner, Aylesworth’s Fish and Bait, Inc.
• Jim Cantonis, Council Co-Chair, President, Acme Sponge & Chamois Co., Inc.
• Jim Beever, Principal Planner, Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council
• Billy Causey, Southeast Regional Director for the National Marine Sanctuary Program
• Ernesto Lasso de la Vega, Citizen Advisory Committee of the Charlotte Harbor National Estuarine Program
• Kathleen Elliot, Vice President of the Mahogany Youth Corporation
• Ted Forsgren, Executive Director, Coastal Conservation Association, Florida
• Laura Geselbracht, Senior Marine Scientist, The Nature Conservancy
• Amy Godsey, State Meteorologist
• Frank V. Hibbard, Mayor, City of Clearwater
• Elliot Kampert, Director of Growth Management, Okaloosa County
• Liz Longstreet, Seafood Procurement Department, Darden Restaurants
• Chuck Listowski, Executive Director, West Coast Inland Navigation District
• Gary Lytton, Director, Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve
• Gil McRae, Director, FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute
• Gib Migliano, President, Save On Seafood
• Ben Nelson, Forecaster, National Weather Service
• Michael Poff, Vice President, Coastal Engineering Consultants Inc.
• Richard Pruitt, Associate Vice President, Environmental Programs, Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd.
• Jerry Sansom, Executive Director, Organized Fishermen of Florida
• Dan Solano, Owner, Cedar Key Aquaculture Farms Inc.
• John Sprague, Director of Government Affairs, Marine Industries of Florida
• Jacqui Sulek, Chapter Network Manager, Audubon of Florida

Every Florida Sea Grant Marine Extension Agent also has an advisory committee comprised of local and regional citizens who advise them on their extension and education programs.