Juda Engelmayer, a distinguished expert in public relations and crisis communications, has joined the Converge Public Strategies as Partner and Co-Chair of its Communications Practice.

With over three decades of experience, Engelmayer brings unparalleled expertise in managing complex communications challenges across diverse industries.

Engelmayer joins Converge with a distinguished track record in public relations and strategic communications. Most recently, he served as President and CEO of HeraldPR, a New York-based firm specializing in corporate branding, crisis mitigation, and strategic messaging.

Under his leadership, the firm expanded its portfolio to include high-stakes matters across sectors including complex civil and criminal litigation, corporate and political advocacy, entertainment, and nonprofit work. Engelmayer is particularly known for navigating — and helping reshape — often harsh and misinformed media and public narratives surrounding high-profile legal cases and reputational crises.

He also co-founded Emerald Digital, a digital marketing agency focused on online reputation management and crisis response, offering clients integrated strategies to protect and restore public trust in the face of scrutiny.

Earlier in his career, Engelmayer served as Senior Vice President and Group Director at 5W Public Relations, where he oversaw corporate communications, crisis management, and advocacy efforts. His strategic counsel has been trusted by clients under intense public pressure, including prominent figures in the entertainment industry and individuals embroiled in sensitive legal battles.

His previous roles include Chief Communications Officer at the American Jewish Congress and Vice President at Rubenstein Associates, where he managed a diverse range of accounts — from foreign governments to nonprofit organizations and health care institutions. He began his career with positions at the New York State Comptroller’s Office and the Anti-Defamation League, reflecting a deep-rooted commitment to public service and community advocacy.

“Juda’s extensive experience and proven track record in crisis communications and strategic public relations make him an invaluable addition to our team,” said Jonathan Kilman, Chairman of Converge Public Strategies. “His ability to navigate complex media landscapes and provide strategic counsel will greatly benefit our clients facing high-stakes challenges.”

Engelmayer’s insights and commentary have been featured in prominent media outlets, including The Washington Post, Vulture, USA Today, and Fox News, where he has provided expert analysis on crisis management and public relations strategies.

“I am excited to join Converge Public Strategies and collaborate with a team that is at the forefront of public affairs and strategic communications,” said Engelmayer. “Together, we will continue to deliver exceptional results for our clients, helping them navigate the complexities of today’s media environment.”

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Florida has yet again ranked No. 1 on a list of top states — but this time, it’s a dubious distinction with potentially disastrous consequences.

Underground utility lines are damaged by digging nearly 26,000 times each year across the Sunshine State — an average of 71 times each day, more than any other U.S. state. An industry group says that Floridians are suffering the consequences from the state’s lax laws on excavation, utility location and requirements to contact 811.

That’s according to data from the Common Ground Alliance (CGA), a national nonprofit trade association working to prevent damage to buried infrastructure like utility lines. CGA’s nearly 4,000 member companies and organizations include the energy, utilities, construction, insurance and technology industries, among others.

Damage to buried water, electric, internet, natural gas and other utility lines costs the U.S. an estimated $30 billion annually. The association says these incidents can potentially disrupt access to critical services like 911 centers, as well as cause catastrophic injuries or loss of life.

In Florida, digging incidents have contributed to road collapses in West Palm Beach, water main breaks and boil water notices in Daytona Beach, and even fatal accidents in Southwest Florida. Meanwhile across Florida, utilities are moving underground to protect assets from natural disasters; TECO has invested over $100 million in recent years to bury overhead electric lines.

But experts say if these lines aren’t protected during excavation, the resiliency benefit of burying these utilities is lost.

“Dozens of times a day, we’re just one digging incident away from losing power, internet, electricity, or natural gas in our neighborhoods, and in Florida more than anywhere else in America,” said Sarah K. Magruder Lyle, President and CEO of the Common Ground Alliance.

“The risk that a single hit to critical utility lines can pose to communities, businesses, residents, and visitors is underrated. But so much of this risk is avoidable by requiring commonsense measures like contacting 811 before every dig, and modernizing Florida’s digging laws.”

Some utility lines are buried just inches under the surface, a fact that can be surprising to many. Magruder Lyle appeared earlier this month on NewsRadio WFLA’s Good Morning Orlando, where host Simon Conway wondered if burying a goldfish in the backyard could cause damage to buried utilities.

The answer? It very well might, according to Magruder Lyle.

The solution, she says, is to always know exactly what’s underground before the first shovel hits the ground.

That’s especially important as Florida ramps up investment in new infrastructure. Governor Ron DeSantis’ 2025-26 budget proposes $13.8 billion for transportation-related construction and maintenance, as well as $25 million for infrastructure advancements for Florida’s ports, logistics centers, and fuel pipelines. DeSantis in recent months also announced millions in new infrastructure projects for rural communities like Cedar Key and Cross City.

The risk of damage also rises as demand for AI data centers explodes. President Donald Trump in January announced a $500 billion commitment for data center construction, with Florida among the states under consideration by OpenAI for additional data centers.

Highlighting the risks, as well as the solutions, is top of mind for the Common Ground Alliance. It’s also a priority for the Damage Prevention Action Center, the industry’s advocacy arm working to educate federal, state and local officials on the importance of effective laws and regulations to prevent critical infrastructure damage.

CGA returns to Florida this month, hosting its 2025 Conference and Expo at the Orlando World Center Marriott from April 7-10. The group also held its 2023 conference in Orlando, which featured video remarks from then-Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, U.S. Rep. Darren Soto, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, state Rep. Doug Bankson and others.

The group at its 2023 conference also issued its “50 in 5” challenge, which seeks to reduce damage to underground utilities by 50% by 2028.

The CGA Conference & Expo is the nation’s largest event of its kind, with an expected attendance of more than 1,400 utility and construction professionals. Acclaimed tech entrepreneur and bestselling author Shane Snow will deliver keynote remarks alongside the conference’s more than 50 interactive sessions, programs, and networking events.

Registration for the group’s 2025 conference is open now at CGAConference.com.

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From the outside looking in, Bishop Kenny senior Brooke Curry has an idyllic life. She’s a cheerleader at the Jacksonville parochial school, and is the daughter of former Mayor Lenny Curry and Molly Curry.

But while her real life was going just great, the virtual world presented a different challenge in July 2023, when she was a rising junior at BK.

Brooke Curry had just finished a game of pickleball with friends when she checked her phone, and “it was flooded with notifications from people I knew and people I didn’t know, sending me this photo that had been taken off my Instagram by a boy I didn’t know.”

“He used AI to generate a fake nude of me and posted it to his main Snapchat story,” she related. “I didn’t know why he chose to pick me out of all people. Never met him. Never spoke with him. We don’t have mutual friends.”

Meanwhile, the picture was “spreading like wildfire.” And Brooke Curry was tagged, indicating an extra layer of malice.

She told her parents. Former Jacksonville Mayor Curry reached out to Sheriff TK Waters and State Attorney Melissa Nelson thereafter to see what recourse he had.

But the story didn’t stop there.

A couple of weeks later, someone contacted Brooke Curry to let her know that yet another person was going to recirculate the image to “embarrass” her.

“Multiple people had the photo. And I was basically getting a warning that they want to use it against me,” she related. “That’s when I really realized that a bunch of people have the photo. To this day, I don’t know who has it, what they could do with it, where it’s put out.”

To this end, Speaker Pro Tempore Wyman Duggan introduced “Brooke’s Law” (HB 1161), which is designed to require internet platforms to remove altered sexual depictions and copies of such depictions from their platform upon request of the victim.

“It surfaced on multiple platforms, and I didn’t have the option of going to the platform to have it taken down, so it had been up for hours on end, which is why I think it’s very important for people who are going through this to be able to take charge and have the platform take it down.”

Brooke Curry’s identity wasn’t widely known before Monday in association with the bill. But she will be in Tallahassee later on Monday to tell her story to the Commerce Committee, the final stop before the full House considers it.

That’s not easy for her.

She notes that she lived through this once and in testifying, now has to “relive it.”

“But I’m looking at the bigger picture of how it can help a lot of people become aware about this issue that people deal with every day,” she said. “At the time, I felt like there was nothing I could do. Once I saw that there were things that can be done and people that could help, I wanted to extend that to other victims.”

If “Brooke’s Law” passes, other victims will have recourse that she did not in 2023.

The legislation would require internet platforms to develop and prominently promote a policy by the end of 2025 for removing deepfake images and videos of this type after someone is victimized in this way.

The bill, which envisions the Florida Unfair Trade and Deceptive Practices Act as its enforcement mechanism, expands on legislation championed by former Senate Democratic Leader Lauren Book, which imposed criminal and civil penalties by creating law to force sites to take the objectionable image down.

The Senate version of the proposal (SB 1400) will be heard in its final committee on Thursday.

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