Resiliency Resources
First year of FDEP Resilient Florida (FY21/22)
29 Projects – Map with projects: Online Map
In 2021, Miami-Dade County took another step towards implementation of its Sea Level Rise Strategy by successfully applying and providing local match for range of projects under the new state Resilient Florida Grant Program. This new grant program from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is supporting the 3-year ‘Always Ready Florida’ plan/Statewide Flooding and Sea Level Rise Resilience Plan (Senate Bill 1954) and represents the “largest investment in Florida’s history to prepare communities for the impacts of climate change – including sea level rise, intensified storms and flooding”.
Through a mix of federal and state funding sources, Miami-Dade County expects to receive an estimated $122 million for 29 projects across nine departments to build resilience to our vulnerable stormwater and wastewater systems, fire stations, libraries, public affordable housing, and environmentally endangered lands, among other critical assets. A few of these are also priority projects for advancing efforts in the County’s Little River Adaptation Action Area.
Source: Miami-Dade County Online StoryMap
FEMA awards $100M in two BRIC grants to upgrade critical flood control structures (C-7 and C-9 Canals)
In August, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) awarded nearly $100 million to upgrade critical flood control structures in the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) through two grants in its Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program.
In Broward and Miami-Dade Counties, FEMA awarded $49.64 million for the Building Resiliency with Gray and Green Infrastructure project to install nature-based flood-control measures in the City of North Miami Beach. Extensive land development, population growth and sea level rise have impacted the ability of the water control structures and canals within the C-9 basin to provide flood control and prevent saltwater intrusion. With a focus on disadvantaged communities, this project will enhance the canal structure with a new forward pump, a tie back levee, elevated flood control gates, and a service bridge to help prevent overtopping and reduce saltwater intrusion.
Conducted in partnership with the City of North Miami Beach, this project includes enhancing Pickwick Lake’s wetland and stormwater detention area. Additionally living shoreline features will reduce bank erosion and improve water quality and aquatic habitat. This project will reduce flood risk by lowering peak canal stages, bank exceedances and overland flood inundation throughout the C-9 basin, for the 5-, 10-, 25- and 100-year extreme storm events, and under 1-, 2- and 3-foot sea level rise scenarios.
Also in Miami, FEMA awarded $50 million for the Improving Canal Systems Using Gray and Green Infrastructure project at Little River Basin. This project will provide major upgrades to flood control infrastructure, especially in disadvantaged communities. The project will improve the S-27 Coastal Structure, upgrade parts of the C-7 canal, convert gate opening systems and enhance its salinity control function. Nature-based solutions include building a 2-acre flow-through wetland to reduce local runoff and flooding at W.H. Turner High School and serve as a project-based learning tool.
Source: MDC September Newsletter: https://conta.cc/45zfVei
$50 Million in FEMA BRIC Grant (C-8 Canal)
At the Federal level, FEMA mitigation and adaptation funding is under consideration and the District 853 is working to finalize a grant agreement with FDEM for the $50 million award recommendation received from FEMA BRIC Program for the C-8 Basin Resiliency Project. In addition, the District and USACE initiated the C&SF Flood Resiliency Study, to recommend adaptation strategies to build flood resiliency in the Communities served by the C&SF Systems. This Study was initiated in the Fall 2022 under the existing authority of the Flood Control Act of 1970 – Section 216 and is currently leveraging advanced hydrologic hydraulic and/or hydrodynamic models, representing surface water system and associated operational rules, as well as groundwater and ocean/coastal water interaction developed under the South Florida Water Management District’s Flood Protection Level of Service (FPLOS) Program and USACE’s South Atlantic Coastal Study (SACS, https://www.sad.usace.army.mil/SACS/). The Section 216 Study focus on the highly vulnerable infrastructure that can reduce the most immediate flood risk to changing hydrodynamic and climate conditions, and the resilience aspects of such infrastructure, and is being conducted in coordination with stakeholders, Federal agencies, State, Tribal and local officials.
Source: 2023 SFWMD Sea Level Rise and Flood Resiliency Plan
Advancing Little River Adaptation Action Area
The Little River Adaptation Action Area{2}, made up of neighborhoods in Unincorporated Miami-Dade County, the Village of El Portal, and the City of Miami, is one of the lowest-lying, most vulnerable areas. It is already seeing regular flooding impacts made worse as sea levels rise. We’re working across jurisdictions and directly with residents to help us better understand and address local challenges with targeted funding and projects. Supported by a Resilience Planning Grant from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the County hired Savino & Miller Design Studio to help visualize and map flooding risk and capital projects within the AAA. Our collaboration and engagement at virtual community forums, webinars, and in-person events helped us develop a draft Adaptation Plan for the AAA which outlines how to approach issues like failing septic systems, damage to older buildings, and poor drainage. The County and municipal partners are seeking to complete several projects. Key projects that will begin in 2022 include:
- $19 million (Miami-Dade County) Little River Septic to Sewer Conversion Project: will replace septic systems compromised by elevated groundwater levels with new sewer infrastructure to serve over 300 primarily low- to moderate-income residents in the Larchmont neighborhood and along NE 87th Street.
- $29 million (Miami-Dade County) Public Housing Resilience Upgrades: rehabilitate or redevelop up to nine public housing multi-family developments with over 500 units to be more sustainable and resilient providing current residents with a safer home.*
- $1.6 million (Miami-Dade County) Lake Belmar Stormwater Pump Station: construction of a new pump station for this low-lying subbasin to mitigate repetitive flooding.*
- $500,000 – (Miami-Dade County) Stormwater Water Quality Control Pilot Project: install innovative technologies to remove nutrients and bacteria to protect Little River and Biscayne Bay.*
- $24 million (Miami-Dade County) Secondary canal improvements in the Little River basin.*
- $8 million (City of Miami) Stormwater improvements for Shorecrest South.*
- $927,000 (Village of El Portal) El Jardin Storm Water Improvements.*
Source: Miami-Dade County Sea Level Rise Strategy Year 1 Progress Update
Adopted October 18, 2022 - Ordinance Relating to Development within Flood Hazard Districts, Water Control, and Flood Criteria
This ordinance revises flood protection, floodplain, and environmental regulations, revises the County Flood Criteria Map and Water Control Map, revises standards and procedures for application of such maps to development, and implements technical changes to achieve higher regulatory standards to increase resilience and reduce future risks to our built environment from projected increases in sea level rise. The higher regulatory standards in this ordinance generally apply to new construction and substantial improvements to existing developments.
Proposed changes to the County Flood Criteria Map and the Water Control Map are a direct result of the hydraulic and hydrologic modeling conducted by the Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources’ Division of Environmental Resources Management (DERM) to study the interaction of groundwater, surface water, and the effects of sea level rise on the totality of the County’s watershed area. The proposed changes will require low lying developing and redeveloping properties to meet improved elevation standards as part of their submittals seeking to approve new development or substantial redevelopment of property. While not a part of this ordinance, this modeling activity also forms the technical basis for updates to the County’s Stormwater Management Master Plan, which is a planning and guidance document that includes updates, for example, to our short and long-term Capital Improvement Plans, and the County’s Inspection, Operations and Maintenance Plan for our stormwater infrastructure and assets.
Source: Miami-Dade County BCC Memo (October 18, 2022)
Action today! Climate Risk
County Resiliency Programs:
- Resilience and Sustainability – Miami
- Sustainability Sustainability Program (broward.org)
- Office of Resilience Home (pbcgov.org)
- Resilience Projects | Martin County Florida
Data Tools:
- Sea Level Rise and Flooding (miamidade.gov)
- Sea Level Rise and Coastal Flooding Impacts (noaa.gov)
- Home – First Street Foundation
- Resources – American Flood Coalition
- FEMA Flood Map Service Center | Welcome!
Florida Resources:
- A-Z Index | Florida Department of Environmental Protection
- Florida Resilient Coastlines Program – Home | Florida Department of Environmental Protection
- Florida Resilient Coastlines Program | Florida Department of Environmental Protection
- Resilient Florida Grants | Florida Department of Environmental Protection
- Governor Ron DeSantis Signs Bill to Further Strengthen Florida’s Resiliency Efforts (flgov.com)
Research studies: