Resilience
Florida’s communities, infrastructure and resources are at immense risk from sea level rise, hurricanes and heavy precipitation events. Resilience policy and projects can help Florida governments, businesses and communities not only recover from sudden and disruptive events, but also ensure long-term prosperity despite constant environmental hazards. Every $1 invested in building resilient communities and infrastructure saves $13 in recovery cost and economic impact.
Nature-based solutions and the integration of green and gray measures like seawalls provide cost-effective approaches to protect communities and businesses from increased flooding, hurricanes and sea level rise.
Our ongoing work focuses on advancing nature-based solutions and the integration of green and gray/traditional measures.“Nature-based solutions” is a broad term that describes solutions that work with nature or as part of nature to protect, restore and manage natural ecosystems and address socio-environmental challenges to reduce risks, promote resilience and provide co-benefits for both people and nature.
$132B
Hurricanes Ian ($112B) and Idalia ($20B) losses have cost approx. $132B
1.8M
Over 1.8 million Florida homes have a substantial risk of flooding today - that could increase by nearly 20% in the next 30 years
$1
Every $1 invested in building resilient communities and infrastructure saves $6 in recovery costs
Policy Solutions Include
Prioritize Coordinated Governance
Support the state’s Chief Resilience Officer (CRO) with funding and dedicated staff resources to support increasing investment in and coordination of Resilient Florida projects.
Create a Resilience Council comprised of leads from state agencies to integrate and coordinate a whole-of-government approach to strengthen planning.
Leverage Nature-Based Solutions
Continue and increase support for additional funding to be designated to the Resilient Florida program within the Department of Environmental Protection to support resilience projects across the state.
Support a statewide natural infrastructure assessment regarding the use of mangroves and other nature-based solutions for flood reduction.
Support a statewide natural infrastructure assessment regarding the use of mangroves and other nature-based solutions for flood reduction.
Enact Property Insurance Reforms
Strengthen flood disclosure laws to include records of past flood damage and include disclosures for renters and leased properties.
Utilize Flood Hub and other risk management data for modeling and updating coastal construction control and erosion projection lines
Florida's Communities: Resilience in Collier County
Collier County's 37 miles of Gulf coastline leave the county especially vulnerable to the threats of climate change and sea level rise.
What's the scoop on Collier's storm surge study?
In Spring 2023, Collier County and the Corps of Engineers sought input on project ideas that would protect against storm surge.
Most initial proposals presented traditional structural engineering, such as concrete seawalls and gates.
EDF recognized the opportunity to introduce innovative concepts that blended structural measures with local nature-based elements, including mangroves, reefs, and dunes.
EDF teamed up with engineering experts...
To create design concepts that integrate nature-based (green) and traditional hardened (gray) measures, blending the best of both to increase resilience and protection. An example of this integrated approach is shown this image.
What is the path forward?
When structural measures were removed from the scope of the study, so too were the design concepts we proposed that contained any trace of hardened or gray measures. However, this doesn’t mean the County can’t explore these innovative solutions separately.
It's important that nature-based solutions be considered not only in the Corps' study, but also in all of the County's resilience efforts moving forward. It will be critical to consider projects like planting mangroves to mitigate the effects of climate change along Florida's coasts, but it's going to take all of the tools in the toolbox, including traditional methods like seawalls, to be considered alongside them.
As the county moves forward towards finding solutions to protect the region against storms and flooding and residents prepare for the start of hurricane season, it is more important than ever that the County takes a proactive approach to these threats.
The County can look to other local governments, such nearby Punta Gorda, as an example of a community that has taken advantage of Resilient Florida planning money to develop an adaptation plan. This effort is one straightforward way that Collier County can develop similar concepts to what EDF shared with them. The portal for this funding opens on July 1st, and we urge Collier County to apply for funding to develop an adaptation plan in addition to their ongoing vulnerability assessment.
The need for integrated governance around resilience
Integrated governance around resilience allows for a coordinated, cross-sector approach to managing environmental and climate-related risks.
Integrated govnernance ensures that government agencies, communities, and stakeholders work together to address vulnerabilities like climate change, sea level rise, and extreme weather. By aligning policies and decision-making processes across various sectors—such as infrastructure, environmental conservation, and emergency management—integrated governance helps create more cohesive, long-term strategies that strengthen resilience and protect both people and ecosystems.
EDF continues to build off our work on solidifying the position of Chief Resilience Officer and Statewide Office of Resilience under the Governor. This includes advocating for the codification of an interagency working group comprised of resilience leads from state agencies.
Millions of Florida wetlands could be at risk
EDF performed an analysis of the US Supreme Court ruling Sackett v. EPA, which drastically scaled back federal protections for the nation’s wetlands.
In Florida specifically, wetlands laws are strong, but there have been rollback bills that have been introduced but have failed to pass. The preliminary analysis has found that up to 9.5 million acres of wetlands may no longer be federally protected because 90% of Florida’s wetlands are freshwater. For example, many parts of the Everglades, one of the largest and most biodiverse freshwater marshes in Florida, may no longer be federally protected and will have to rely on state and other federal laws to protect them from development.
Floridians care about this critical resource, which cleans our water, manages flooding and provides habitat for fish and wildlife. These resources are now at risk.
EDF is working together with scientists, advocates and policymakers to better quantify, communicate and protect the value and breadth of benefits that wetlands provide, particularly for wildlife habitat and flood risk reduction. Through outreach and education, EDF engages and mobilizes public support for wetlands conservation and policy protection and while providing policy recommendations for state and federal leaders. Conserving vital wetlands is critical to ensuring a safe, prosperous future for our communities and people.
The need for reformed federal flood risk management approaches across the state
In 2021, Miami-Dade County and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released a draft plan to provide coastal protection to the region.
The multibillion-dollar proposal contained traditional, hardened infrastructure projects including large gates and a massive seawall along Biscayne Bay. The public pushed back against the proposal because of negative potential impacts to the local environment, economy and quality of life.
With support and guidance from local advocates including EDF, the County reimagined the study to include comprehensive strategies for protecting communities including more nature-based solutions. EDF has also worked to increase the engagement of local residents and stakeholders to ensure the study represents local needs and perspectives.
EDF continues to work with local partners on advancing more nature-based solutions and foster greater community engagement. The work done here has become a model for EDF’s engagement in USACE studies throughout the state and across the nation.
![Proposed Atlantic Coastline Alternative[86]_edited.jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/3cc466_9ddda6a9bb6f4c53aff3c809421d7f19~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_146,h_92,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/Proposed%20Atlantic%20Coastline%20Alternative%5B86%5D_edited.jpg)