Speakers

2019 Florida Tiny House Festival Speakers

Update (November 12, 2019): Please join tiny living enthusiasts from around the world for a weekend of INSPIRATION and INSIGHT with the INCREDIBLE line-up of SPEAKERS who will be PRESENTING and SHARING during the 4th Annual Florida Tiny House Festival.

2019 Florida Emcee:

Zack Giffin

Zack Giffin is the co-host of the World-famous television series, Tiny House Nation, a Board Member of Operation Tiny Home, Tiny House Builder/Designer, World-Class Skier, World Recognized Tiny House Advocate, Craftsman, Philanthropist, and a REALLY COOL guy!

Special Guest:

Rep. Anna Eskamani

Representative Anna Eskamani is a member of the Florida House of Representatives from the 47th district in Orange County.  She has been a long-time supporter of tiny houses in Florida, previously introduced HB801 for tiny houses in Florida and has been instrumental in the FBC (Florida Building Commission) deciding to adopt the IRC’s Appendix Q for foundation-based tiny houses in 2020.

2019 Florida Speaker:

Jo-Anne Peck

Jo-Anne is the owner of Historic Shed and is an expert on helping to take the mystery out of Zoning and Building Codes for both the DIYer and those considering hiring a contractor to build their little dream home in Florida.  She will be discussing such topics as: What you can build, where, researching a property’s zoning, minimum room sizes, egress requirements, lofts/ stairs, required clearances for fixtures, product approvals, construction drawings, permitting process, inspections during the build, and more.  Jo-Anne’s emphasis will be on Tiny Houses on Foundations, but much can also be applied to Tiny Homes on Wheels.

2019 Florida Speaker:

Andrew Bennett

Owner of Trekker Trailers, Co-Founder Bildsworth International Tiny House Inspection Services, Co-Owner Core Housing Solutions, Tiny House Builder, Tear-Drop Camper Builder, Gypsy Wagon Builder, 25+ Years Experience Building Mobile Living Structures, Regular Guest on DIY Channel and HGTV.

2019 Florida Speaker:

Andrea J. Burns

Andrea is a tree-hugging, food enthusiast, who is passionate about using every tool we have to improve what we do and how we do it.  Her Mission: To tackle significant issues with a fresh pointy of view, applying data-driven solutions at a level where individuals control the power of change.  Andrea is also a DIY expert and the builder/owner of the Tomato Box Tiny House.

2019 Florida Speaker:

Yvette Stokes

Yvette is an accomplished Published Author, Off-Gridder, First-Hand Experienced Emergency Evacuation Expert, Full-Time A-Liner, and a highly successful Business Woman.

2019 Florida Speaker:

John & Shiang-Ling Bissonnette

The Bissonnettes are a full-time, skoolie conversion (The Bhive Family), family of six (not including their dog, cat, hamster, and fish), living a nomadic life!  Everyday is an adventure to the next as they homeschool, explore, learn, and teach themselves daily!  You can follow The Bhive Family on Instagram HERE.  According to Shiang-Ling & Johnny, “We are a full time family of crazies living within close quarters; who wouldn’t you want to expose to this chaos?  Additionally, we love with answering questions related to large families who actually want to do this lifestyle!

2019 Florida Speaker:

Pat Dunham

2019 Florida Speaker:

Brenda Mason

Brenda is Public Speaker, Downsizing Consultant, and Smaller Living Advocate.  Brenda downsized from 3100sqft to 310sqft in 31 days, to her mostly off-grid converted motorcoach 4+ years ago.  Regardless of the size of your home, Brenda believes, “You also can Create Your Clutter Free Home Oasis!”  You can learn out Brenda’s book, programs, and posts HERE.

2019 Florida Speakers:

Richard Tilford & Elizabeth Hensley

Richard and Elizabeth have been living full-time in their school bus conversion Little House on the HWY since August 1, 2018. To date, they have traveled through 47 states and over 25,000 miles. Their story has been featured on Spectrum News 1, The Orange County Register, Atlanta’s NPR station WABE, ROVA Magazine, and various vlogs and blogs. They chose this lifestyle to live simply and experience the diversity of American culture.

2019 Florida Speaker:

Suzy Beckwith

Suzy Beckwith has been living in Florida all her life.  A decade ago, Suzy lost everything in a devastating flood.  Through seeking more sustainable lifestyle, she heard about tiny houses.  Through life’s challenges, she learned about her own empowerment, including being a single mom. She built and has been living in her THOW for 5 years.  Suzy loves to share her passion for all things tiny, drawing on personal and job experiences, serving others with her many skills.  She’s the park manager of a growing tiny house community. She’s a reclamation artist and laugh maker.  You can follow Suzy HERE.

2019 Florida Speakers:

Alex & Sam Scribner

Siblings, Sam and Alex, hopped on the skoolie bandwagon to get a little piece of the delicious adventure pie – and with one little twist. Four years ago, after a freak fall from a hammock, Sam was left a quadriplegic, which changed his family’s lives forever. Instead of shutting down from panic and fear, Sam and Alex decided to turn tragedy upside down to create a feasible, comfortable and safe way to travel the country, paving the way for other disabled adventurers battling adversities of their own. Join Sam and Alex on their journey HERE as they create new and exciting possibilities for traveling the country!

2019 Florida Speaker:

Mike Cheatham

Mike is the Owner of Movable Roots Luxury Tiny Homes. He is also a tiny house advocate and was instrumental in the legalization of tiny houses in Brevard County.  In addition to being an award winning Designer/Builder of Tiny Houses, Mike is also a Fire Fighter and Construction Expert.

2019 Florida Speaker:

Felice Cohen

Felice is an author and motivational speaker. Her book, “90 Lessons for Living Large in 90 Square Feet (…or more)” came about after a YouTube video of her 90-square-foot Manhattan studio went viral.  “90 Lessons” is self-help book motivating others to “live large” in any sized space.  Felice has been featured in a documentary on tiny living, and Good Morning America, Fox5, CBS, Sirius, NPR, Time, Forbes, Globe & Mail, New York Daily News, Daily Mail and many more around the world.  She writes the blog “Living Large in Any Space” and has been a professional organizer for 20 years.

2019 Florida Speakers:

Sam Cosner & Tim Davidson

Sam and Tim have been living tiny since May 2017. They decided to go tiny due to their love of having less and living simply.  They disposed of 80% of their possessions in just 90 days – and dove in!  Besides their simple living, Sam and Tim have fairly normal lives with 9-to-5 jobs.   Currently, they are building their second tiny house on their new property they call “Shellmate Island”!  Through tiny living, they have experienced many benefits including lowered anxiety by owning less, long term financial health, having a smaller global impact, and living in a really cool home!

2019 Florida Speakers:

Jill Kanto

Jill is the founder of SearchTinyHouseVillages.com, which is a free online directory of Tiny House Communities, including informal backyard parking, tiny-friendly RV parks, tiny-only villages & mixed-housing, and lives in her DIY tiny house with her family. She spent many years studying, visiting and work shopping communities.  Jill speaks at tiny house events around the Country on the topics of: The spectrum of available communities (& other tiny house parking options), The pros & cons of each type of community, Resources for joining or starting a community, Common mistakes when founding a community, and Tools for working together efficiently.

Shorty’s Victorian Tiny House “Nawaka” is a functioning mobile historical exhibit, telling the story of life in the late 19^th century, as well as a modern-day home with all the amenities.  With the help of a few friends and no prior construction experience, Shorty built the house herself using SIPS technology, and 90% recycled & re-purposed materials.  Shorty lives full time in Nawaka, and travels with her tiny house to living history events, workshops and festivals.  She’s a tiny living advocate and is currently compiling a book featuring stories of other DIY women builders: Building Passion, the Tiny House Edition.

Bio TBA

Florida Off-Grid Workshop

Friday (5:00PM)

John Kernohan, Beloved Cabin and the Tiny Firehouse – Station No. 9, shares the 8 years of trials, tribulations, successes, failures, and the lessons learned, of his and his wife Fin’s off-grid lifestyle with Natural Methane Fuel Creation, Solar Energy, Rain Water Collection, Compositing Toilets, DIY Septic Systems, Gardening, and more, in the humorous, personal and entertaining way for which John is known.

Zoning: Live TINY… Legally!

Sunday (3:00PM)

John Kernohan will be sharing on zoning, the legalities of living tiny, and how you too can live, and afford, your tiny dream… whatever your tiny dream may be!  Come listen from someone who actually does live his tiny dream, along with his wife Fin, on their own land… and who have done so LEGALLY for the past 8 years.  Learn how you too can become an advocate for legal tiny living, not just for yourself, but for the tiny house community on a whole.  “Your tiny dream is in your hand!”

Listen and learn from those who actually walk the tiny walk – and not just talk the talk.  The owners of skoolies, van conversions, tiny houses, and other modalities of micro homes shares their experiences, expertise, adventures, trials, tribulations, and accomplishments in a humorous, personal, and inspirational sharing of themselves followed by a Q&A session. (Photo taken at the Louisiana Tiny House Festival, December 2018.)

Across the Nation and throughout Florida, progress is being made on Federal, State and Local levels for the legalization of tiny homes.  ADUs and Tiny Houses on Wheels are being recognized and accepted as solutions for affordable housing and in helping to satisfy the need for housing in areas experience housing shortages.  Come listen to those who are on the frontlines and who are seeing change being made… and learn what you can do to be an advocate for the legalization of tiny homes in your area.

Founders of the United Tiny House Association; Organizers of the 4th Annual Florida Tiny House Festival; Organizers of the 15 for-charity Tiny House Festivals; Owners of Tiny House Rescuers; Owners of the Tiny Firehouse – Station No. 9; Featured on HGTV’s “Tiny House Big Living”, the DIY Network, TODAY, The Rachael Ray Show, AOL’s “Dream Big-Live Small“; Living 8 Years Full-Time in their DIY, Off-Grid 304sqft Beloved Cabin; DIY Experts; FREE Off-Grid Consultants; Philanthropists; Full-Time Tiny Lifestyle Advocates; Public Speakers; and the authors of “TINY Talks: Communicating BIG with Humor and Honesty” (2019 release) and “Our Tiny House Love Affair” (2020 release).