The Southeastern Coastal Center for Agricultural Health and Safety (SCCAHS) at the University of Florida and UF Gulf Scholars at the Bob Graham Center for Public Service held a viewing event on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, from 5:30–7:30 p.m. in the Pugh Hall Ocora for a new documentary short highlighting Cedar Key, a fishing community that has weathered multiple hurricanes in recent years.
The film explores how environmentally sensitive coastal communities prepare for, respond to, and recover from major storms while highlighting SCCAHS’s work to protect the health and safety of those who live and work along Florida’s coast. This documentary was produced by Brianne Lehan.
Following the screening, a panel of Extension professionals, Cedar Key residents, and local business owners featured in the film discussed their firsthand experiences navigating hurricane preparedness and recovery, and explored what community-centered resilience looks like in practice.
For those unable to attend, please view the livestream via YouTube.
If you would like to watch the full documentary you can do so below.
Panelists
Mike Allen
Dr. Mike Allen is a professor of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences and the Director of the UF/IFAS Nature Coast Biological Station at the University of Florida in Cedar Key. His research has focused on population dynamics and ecology of fishes. He uses field studies and computer models to explore population dynamics of fishes that support important recreational fisheries. He has evaluated habitat requirements for fish populations, and identified fisheries management strategies for recreational fisheries in lakes, reservoirs, and marine environments.
Michael Presley Bobbitt
Michael Presley Bobbitt is a playwright, novelist, and clam farmer living and working on the island of Cedar Key. His plays have premiered off-Broadway and around the country, and his best-selling trilogy of Cedar Key novels continues to find a wide readership worldwide. In addition to farming clams, he advocates for the aquaculture industry and the need to protect Florida’s fragile estuary ecosystems.
Angie B. Lindsey
Dr. Angie B. Lindsey is an associate professor in the Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences at the University of Florida, working within the PIE Center and SCCAHS. Lindsey is also the Florida Point of Contact for the Extension Disaster Education Network. Her research and outreach focus on building community resilience to disasters, particularly in Gulf Coast communities, drawing on her work with the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences–funded Healthy Gulf, Healthy Communities project. Lindsey’s work continues to advance disaster preparedness and community engagement through research and extension.
Timothy Solano
Timothy Solano is a second-generation clam farmer in Cedar Key, Florida, where he and his siblings operate Cedar Key Aquaculture Farms, growing clams and oysters. Inspired by his father, who began clamming in 1993, Tim now continues the family tradition alongside his wife and three children while helping shape the future of Florida’s shellfish aquaculture industry. He also partners with Feeding Florida to provide clams to food banks statewide and serves on the boards of the Florida Shellfish Aquaculture Association, the Cedar Key Aquaculture Association, and the State of Florida’s Aquaculture Research Council.
Hannah Healey Hoffmann
Hannah Healey Hoffmann is a 10-year resident of Cedar Key, Florida, and a local business owner. She owns and operates The Prickly Palm, a coffee shop in the heart of downtown Cedar Key. Over her five years in business, she has weathered three major hurricanes—Idalia, Debby, and Helene. Each storm brought new challenges for Hannah and her team, ultimately leading to the Prickly Palm’s current chapter: a coffee shop on wheels. Before opening The Prickly Palm, Hannah worked as a marine biologist and a local high school science teacher. She credits her background in science with helping her approach challenges with a clear, analytical mind and adapt to whatever comes next.