FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 1, 2019
DEP Announces Support to Help Communities Prepare for Sea Level Rise
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Florida Resilient Coastlines Program announces that nearly $1.6 million in grant funding has been awarded for fiscal year 2019-20 to strengthen resilience initiatives for 30 coastal communities in 17 coastal counties in Florida.
“These grants are incredibly important to the sustainability and protection of our natural resources and Florida’s coastal communities,” said DEP Secretary Noah Valenstein. “I am proud of the work we are doing around the state to prepare for the impacts of sea level rise, and I know we will continue to protect Florida together.”
Grants are provided through the Office of Resilience and Coastal Protection’s Florida Resilient Coastlines Program, and are specifically designed to assist local governments with resilience planning and funding assistance to implement those plans. Resilience Planning Grants (RPG) provide financial assistance to aid Florida communities in promoting resilience planning; developing vulnerability assessments, adaptation plans, comprehensive plan goals, objectives and policies; and regional coordination.
“This investment in Florida’s resilience infrastructure will have long-lasting impacts for coastal communities, residents, businesses and the valuable ecosystems supported by these areas,” said Florida Resilient Coastlines Program Administrator Whitney Gray.
Grant awards help finance projects to assist coastal communities in meeting the requirements set in 2015 in the Peril of Flood legislation. The Florida law requires coastal communities to include a coastal management element in their comprehensive plan that analyzes the current and future effects of flooding from sea level rise, storm surge, precipitation and other sources.
The fiscal year 2020-21 RPG grant application cycle opens on Aug. 1, 2019. For more information, visit FloridaDEP.gov/Resilience.
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