County taking efforts to combat sea level rise

Our County’s Sea Level Rise Strategy is a comprehensive plan for adapting to and planning for future sea level rise. Developed in collaboration with hundreds of partners and community leaders, the strategy details key actions and capital projects that will advance our adaptation goals, help us recover and create local jobs. It also delves into our history of living with water and provides information on the key challenges and opportunities we face.

The Sea Level Rise Strategy describes five complementary adaptation approaches that can be combined depending on a community’s needs and preferences and the physical landscape:

• Build on Fill: raise the land on artificial fill
• Build Like the Keys: elevate structures on pilings and live with more water
• Build on High Ground Around Transit: promote new development in the least flood-prone areas along transit corridors
• Expand Greenways and Blueways: expand waterfront parks and make room for canals in our most flood-prone neighborhoods
• Create Green and Blue Neighborhoods: create a network of small spaces for water in our yards, streets, and parks.

The adaptation approaches consist of individual tools that, when combined, help communities adapt in a more comprehensive way. The County and municipalities can tailor these approaches based on the geography and physical characteristics of each area and with input from stakeholders and the community.