FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Feb. 13, 2023
DEP Announces Continued Historic Investments in Resilience
~At the conclusion of these assessments, all 67 counties in Florida will have completed a vulnerability assessment~
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced the award of over $28 million to develop or update comprehensive vulnerability assessments beginning this year. The 128 planning grants announced today will result in 222 total local government vulnerability assessments. At the conclusion of these assessments, all 67 counties in Florida will have completed a vulnerability assessment and be eligible for inclusion in future iterations of the Statewide Flooding and Sea Level Rise Resilience Plan, which proposes funding for the highest ranked resilience and adaptation projects across the state.
“Under the leadership of Governor DeSantis, the state of Florida has become a national leader in resilience action,” said DEP Secretary Shawn Hamilton. “Hurricanes Ian and Nicole illustrate just how crucial this investment is and will continue to be. These identified projects announced today will ensure inland and coastal communities are prepared for the impacts of storm surge, hurricanes and flooding and allow us to continue our aggressive efforts to protect Florida’s natural resources and infrastructure.”
“Governor DeSantis has consistently encouraged DEP and the Statewide Office of Resilience to empower local communities to better understand their unique flood vulnerability and to begin designing effective adaptations to reduce current and projected flood and storm surge risks to their residents and infrastructure,” said Chief Resilience Officer Dr. Wes Brooks. “This round of Resilient Florida planning grants reflects the state’s ongoing commitment to supporting these critical efforts across inland and coastal communities, and I’m proud that Florida is on track to ensure that every county and municipality in the state has completed an up-to-date and comprehensive vulnerability assessment by 2026, consistent with the Governor’s Executive Order 23-06.”
In addition, Governor DeSantis recently announced the award of more than $275 million immediately available for 75 resilience projects using already-appropriated funding through the Resilient Florida program to help prepare coastal and inland communities for the adverse impacts of flooding and storm surge. On December 1, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection submitted the second preliminary Statewide Flooding and Sea Level Rise Resilience Plan to the Governor and Legislature, which proposed funding for resilience and adaptation projects received from across the state.
The total proposed investment in the plan is $407 million across 86 new projects in the next three years.
Senate Bill 1954/House Bill 7019, which passed in 2021, is comprehensive legislation that ensures a coordinated approach to Florida coastal and inland resilience. The targeted funding and new directives have enhanced efforts to protect our inland riparian areas, coastlines, shores and coral reefs, which serve as invaluable natural defenses against sea level rise.
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