CFI Board Member Named Audubon Florida’s Everglades Champion

provided to The Santiva Chronicle

The Charitable Foundation of the Islands is proud to announce that board member Chauncey Goss has received Audubon Florida’s 2026 Everglades Champion award. The award was presented on October 16 during the Audubon Assembly awards banquet at the TradeWinds Resort in St. Pete Beach.

Every year Audubon Florida recognizes the state’s leading conservationists with a suite of annual awards. The Everglades Champion award is given for bold action on behalf of the Everglades or continuous leadership on behalf of Everglades restoration and the recovery of Lake Okeechobee and its estuaries. Goss was appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis to the Governing Board of the South Florida Water Management District in 2019, was reappointed in 2023 and now serves as the board’s chair. At this year’s Assembly, he also served as a panelist for the plenary session celebrating Paul Gray, PhD, and Audubon’s legacy in Florida.

“We are so proud to see Chauncey recognized for his leadership on Everglades restoration,” said Dolly Farrell, CFI executive director. “Clean water is fundamental to the health and economy of Sanibel and Captiva, and Chauncey has spent years working to protect it for our island community and all of South Florida.”

“On behalf of the entire CFI Board, we congratulate Chauncey on this well-deserved honor,” said Lisa Riordan, CFI board chair. “His commitment to restoring the Everglades and protecting Lake Okeechobee and our estuaries reflects the same spirit of service and leadership he brings to our board and to the island community every day.”

Goss grew up on Sanibel, raised his sons there and lives there with his wife, Allison. He joined the CFI Board in January 2024. He is the managing partner of Goss Practical Solutions, a firm he founded that provides federal fiscal policy analysis and budget forecasting, and previously served as Deputy Staff Director and Director of Budget Review for the U.S. House Budget Committee. He is a former member of the Sanibel City Council and has served on the boards of the Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation, the Ding Darling Wildlife Society and Captains for Clean Water, among others.

“I’m honored to receive this recognition from Audubon Florida,” Goss said. “Everglades restoration is a team effort, and this award belongs to the many partners, scientists and community members who have worked for decades to send more clean water south and protect our estuaries.”

About Charitable Foundation of the Islands: (MyCFI.org)
The mission of the Charitable Foundation of the Islands (CFI) is to inspire philanthropy, leadership, and collaboration for the vitality of the Island community. CFI has served the Sanibel and Captiva communities since the 1990s through the Francis Bailey Society and was officially incorporated as a 501(c)(3) organization in 2011.