Travel Updates Northeast Florida

St. Augustine summit highlights 10 years of coastal heritage monitoring

Florida’s Aug. 7 Tidally United Summit put coastal cultural-resource monitoring, erosion and sea-level-rise risks in focus.

By Florida Go Last verified August 13, 2026

What happened

Florida’s 2026 Tidally United Summit was held in St. Augustine on Aug. 7, 2026, bringing together the Florida Public Archaeology Network’s Heritage Monitoring Scouts (HMS Florida) program, land managers, researchers and members of the public. The summit marked 10 years of HMS Florida, a statewide effort that tracks changes at cultural sites threatened by erosion, sea-level rise and storms.

Why it matters

HMS Florida trains volunteers to document site conditions without disturbing them and to submit observations through its monitoring database. The information is curated for use by FPAN staff and other professionals making decisions about cultural resources.

The one-day summit at Flagler College focused on public participation, work with land managers, training and data management, and research projects. It was offered both in St. Augustine and online.

The takeaway

The Aug. 7 gathering did not announce a new statewide mandate or project. Its significance was practical: it highlighted an existing volunteer-and-professional network that gathers repeat observations to help identify climate-related risks to Florida’s archaeological and historic places.

Sources

Evidence

Sources

  1. Florida Public Archaeology Network — Tidally United Summit 2026 Official
  2. Florida Public Archaeology Network — HMS Florida Official
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