2026 Student-Led Policy Conference

When is the 2026 Student Conference?

The date of the 2026 Conference is July 16th -17th, 2026.

What is the purpose of the Conference?

The Conference invites participants from across the Florida College System to gain leadership experience and network with subject-matter experts in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Students will be paired with fellow college peers on creating and presenting on public policy proposals in relation to the topic of AI.

Is the Conference free to attend?

The Conference is free to attend, however, all participants are responsible for transportation to the venue. Meals are provided during the Conference. Lodging is also provided conference attendees.

Am I able to attend the Policy Conference?

Interested students and faculty that would like to attend must fill out our registration form here. Please keep in mind, students are not able to attend the conference without a faculty member to chaperone and take responsibility for them.

Why isn’t the location of the conference or hotel listed on the weblink?

The reason why we do not include the hotel/conference location on the website is to protect the privacy and security of our attendees. Approved faculty, students, and event partners are sent location logistics from ISPS staff.  

How can ISPS support your college throughout the process?

ISPS supports participating colleges in a multitude of ways, including:

• Hosting organizational meetings for participating colleges to ask questions, share information and explore best practices.
• Marketing the event afterwards to highlight the work from participating students and promote next year’s student-led conference.
• Working with your college to provide the best possible experience for students.

What happens during the Conference?

Students will engage in breakout sessions, listen to expert speakers, and collaborate with peers and field experts in meaningful discussions. They will then form teams to develop and present innovative policy solutions.

How will the Conference engage students?

To enhance student engagement and networking, all attendees from participating colleges will be assigned to randomized groups with students from different colleges. This will foster collaboration and connections throughout the event.

Networking During Meals

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner will be structured to allow assigned groups to eat together at designated tables. This setup will ensure networking opportunities before and after speaker sessions, while energizing participants and fostering teamwork.

Social Media Engagement Contest

Students will be encouraged to create and share engaging social media content using a pre-determined hashtag (#spcisps) for Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Content themes will be assigned, including:

• Most Creative/Engaging Content – $50 for the individual winner
• Best Group Photo – $25 a piece per group member.

Submissions will be sent via email to . ISPS marketing staff will review entries, and winners will receive gift cards.

Breakout Speaker Sessions

To optimize learning and engagement, the conference will feature four breakout speaker sessions, allowing students to choose sessions based on their interests. The conference will provide an engaging, interactive, and dynamic experience that fosters meaningful student connections, collaboration, and participation.

Public Policy Scenario

Students will take the information they learned from the speaker breakout sessions and their own group research to address a solution to a hypothetical scenario that correlates to real world issues that the conference topic covers.

Can students under 18 years old attend the Conference?

Any student enrolled in the Florida College System may participate in our conference. Dual enrollment students are encouraged to attend as well. Please note — any student under the age of 18 cannot share a room with students over the age of 18. Also, the designated lead must chaperone and take responsibility for the student during the entirety of the conference. 

Do I have to stay at the hotel after the Conference concludes?

You are not obligated to stay at either of the hotels during or after the conference ends. If college faculty and students prefer to drive back home, they are welcome to do so with no financial penalties. 

Who hosts the Conference?

The Conference is hosted by the Institute for Strategic Policy Solutions (ISPS) at St. Petersburg College. ISPS is dedicated to advancing academic excellence, community engagement, economic vitality, and public understanding through high-quality, solutions-directed, non-partisan public policy program. More information can be found on the ISPS website.

Thursday, July 16th

5:30 pm – 6:15 pm: Hotel arrival – luggage drop off.

6:30 pm – 8:00 pm: Orientation and Welcome Speech

Welcome Speaker: Daniel Mageras

8:15 pm: Evening Reception

Friday, July 17th

7:45 am – 8:15 am: Faculty Breakfast and Networking —Faculty will reconvene with students at 8:15 am for the morning keynote.

8:15 am – 9:00 am: Breakfast and Morning Keynote Speech

Morning Remarks Speaker: Tarruck Wheeler

Morning Keynote Speaker: Cooper Koepping

9:00 am – 10:00 am: Breakout A: Challenges Presented by AI

Session 1: Ethical Questions Raised By Artificial Intelligence

As the use of Artificial Intelligence becomes widespread, ethical questions are raised regarding not just the AI tools themselves but also the infrastructure required to support them. 

Guest Speakers: Christian Moriarity, Kristen Chittenden

Session 2: Legal Frameworks Raised By Artificial Intelligence

As Artificial Intelligence becomes a more prevalent tool utilized by workforce professionals, the amount of physical infrastructure needed to support it has increased. With the recent increase in AI data centers, states have begun to create different legal frameworks to manage how data centers can be created and how they will be managed after creation. 

Guest Speakers: Dr. John Licato, Tarruck Wheeler

10:15 am – 11:15 am: Breakout B: The Future of Artificial Intelligence

Session 3: The Role of Artificial Intelligence in the Workforce

Modern artificial intelligence infrastructure serves as the foundation for AI tools used in the workforce. New AI technologies intend to increase workforce productivity and create opportunities for both companies and their employees. 

Gaining insight into how new AI technologies are implemented in the workforce is essential for a well-rounded understanding of the impact of AI data centers. 

Guest Speakers: Josh Hill

Session 4: Artificial Intelligence And The Environment

The recent growth of AI infrastructure has raised questions regarding long-term environmental sustainability. In addition to the policies and procedures currently being utilized by AI data centers, new technologies are being developed to reduce the ecological footprint created by artificial intelligence. 

Guest Speakers: Chandler Culotta  

11:30 am – 1:00 pm: Lunch, Afternoon Remarks and Keynote Speech

Afternoon Remarks Speaker: Valerie Lavin

Afternoon Keynote Speaker: Karni Chagal-Feferkorn

1:15 pm – 2:45 pm: Policy Proposal Work Groups & Faculty Networking Session

Policy Proposal Moderator: Matthew Lee

Faculty Facilitator: Professor Patrea Wilson, Santa Fe College

3:00 pm – 4:30 pm: Presentations

4:45 pm – 6:15 pm: Evening Remarks and Keynote Speech

Evening Remarks Speaker: Sam Jenkins, ISPS Executive Director

Evening Keynote Speaker: Tommy Wilson, Chief Technology Officer at Tridium Technology Solutions, LLC

6:15 pm: End of program and safe travels!

 Introduction

On May 7^th, 2026, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed Senate Bill 484 into law. Section 7 of the law stipulated the following: 

The Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability (OPPAGA) shall contract for an independent, interdisciplinary study of policy considerations related to the construction and operation of large-scale data centers, including, but not limited to, state, regional, or local economic development and tax revenue impacts; use of land, water, and other natural resources; energy use and related cost and rate impacts; and public health and safety related impacts.

OPPAGA may contract with one or more nonpartisan academic or nonprofit research organizations with policy and scientific expertise in relevant fields of study. The study must identify any issues unique to the construction and operation of large scale data centers in this state. The study must also include recommendations on facility siting and mitigation measures that should be considered to reduce any potential negative impacts. OPPAGA shall submit the study to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives by July 1, 2027. 

With this law in mind, your team will act as OPPAGA to create and present a presentation that addresses the effects of AI data centers on communities.

Function and Powers

OPPAGA serves as the research arm for the Florida Legislature. The research done by OPPAGA is intended to guide Florida policymakers. The primary function of OPPAGA is to assist the legislature with objective research on requested topics, and its powers lie in the reports that it creates.

Report Format

OPPAGA reports traditionally follow those of a standard research paper. Commonly opening with a summary of the report, followed by the background of the issue, then supporting research, and typically closing with OPPAGA’s recommendations. While OPPAGA lacks the power to create any policy itself, it has the ability to suggest that Florida legislature take whatever action they believe best aligns with their research.

In addition to making suggestions to the State Legislature, OPPAGA is also responsible for researching the topic at hand and identifying its stakeholders. This section of the policy scenario gives suggestions on how to properly research your policy solution.

Identifying Stakeholders

OPPAGA’s research standards state that presentations should account for the full range of individuals and groups affected by the research topic. By taking the time to identify the stakeholders of the situation before specific sources, you can ensure your team has an educated view of the topic.

When identifying stakeholders, it’s recommended you ask:

• Which government entities are involved in the construction of datacenters?

• Who supplies data centers with up-to-date technologies?

• What utilities are affected by data centers?

Finding Sources

Utilizing your identified stakeholders as a starting point is essential to creating a comprehensive, number-oriented view of the situation. Asking how sources may tie each stakeholder to your solution ensures your team’s research is relevant to the policy scenario.

Furthermore, looking over your list of stakeholders during your research prevents key perspectives from being left out. Before incorporating a source, it is recommended that you ask the following:

• Is the study conducted by an academic organization without partisan motivation?

• Is the information in the study relevant to the specific topic?

• Is the study recent or still relevant under current circumstances?

Incorporating Sources

Taking the time to properly integrate sources into your policy solution increases its relevance and makes it easier to understand. Academic statistics may be created for niche focus groups. Before including statistics in your presentation, it is recommended that they are read out loud to ensure the information is relevant to your policy solution.

After using statistics and research to show the current landscape of AI data centers, it is important that your policy solution communicates how it could positively impact the future of data centers.

Additional Resources:

• OPPAGA’s official website can be found here: https://oppaga.fl.gov/Home

• OPPAGA’s presentations can be found here: https://oppaga.fl.gov/Products/Presentations

• Full OPPAGA reports can be found here: https://oppaga.fl.gov/Products/ReportList

• OPPAGA research does its best to adhere to “The Program Evaluation Standards, 3^rd Edition”, which can be found here:  https://jcsee.org/program/

Public Policy Proposal Directions 

Your group will take on the role of OPPAGA to draft the study. Follow the letter of the law.  

Groups will present the study to a panel of judges. Judges will be grading the study with the attached rubric. The group with the highest score from the judges will be declared the winner. 

Time Frame

• Groups will have 90 minutes to create the public policy proposal.

• The final product will be a 5–10 minute oral group presentation, accompanied by a PowerPoint.

Presentation Requirements

• Your team may designate one laptop for the creation of your presentation. Finished presentations should be emailed to

• AI may be used to assist in research and brainstorming, but the content of your slides and spoken presentation must be created by your group.

• Include citations for the sources that you used for your presentation.

• All members of the group must play a role and speak during the presentation.

• Please include a title slide that includes all your group members’ names, group number and the title of the presentation.

Suggested Protocol

• First fifteen (or five to six) minutes: Identify the policy issue(s)

• Next fifteen minutes: Identify the stakeholders

• Next fifteen minutes: Brainstorm solutions

• Next fifteen minutes: Assess impact of all solutions on each stakeholder.

• Make recommendations for next steps

• Last five minutes: Practice Public Speaking Presentation