The Invading Sea asked the resilience officers from the region’s four counties about their goals and aspirations for 2019 and beyond.
Here’s what Jennifer Jurado from Broward County told us in an email.
County government:
- Finalize and gain approval for new resiliency standards for seawall top elevations and finished floor elevations to account for sea-level rise and future hydrologic conditions.
- Work to advance clean and resilient transportation systems, with emphasis on coordinated investments in electric vehicles and charging infrastructure, as part of surtax-funded projects and in furtherance of the county’s commitment to a clean feet by 2030.
- Initiate budgeting and plans for a countywide vulnerability analysis and risk assessment to help create the county’s resilient infrastructure improvement plan.
Broward County:
Locally, I look forward to the continued advancement of the Climate Change Compact’s regional efforts. They involve expanding collaboration with our municipal partners. We all need to show our shared commitment to investments in resilience, especially in green infrastructure, flood protection and renewable and clean energy initiatives.
State of Florida:
At the state level, increased flooding and declining water quality has revealed a great need for significant water management projects and stormwater infrastructure to improve flood protection and protect our natural environment.
Gov. Ron DeSantis says that these issues are important to him. He has proposed establishing an Office of Resilience and Coastal Protection to deliver money, technical assistance and coordination with communities in planning for sea-level rise. There is an opportunity to augment these initiatives with the development of a statewide resiliency strategy.
This would align activities across state agencies and could also spur the integration of resilient clean and renewable energy strategies as a state priority. It would benefit the environment and economy, and position Florida as partner in the global effort to reduce carbon emissions.
International efforts:
Globally, I hope to see commitments by individuals, communities, states and nations to pay for projects necessary to reduce carbon emissions to keep the world’s temperature to less than 1.5oC above pre-industrial levels, consistent with the IPCC’s Special Report on Global Warming.
“The Invading Sea” is a collaboration of four South Florida media organizations — the South Florida Sun Sentinel, Miami Herald, Palm Beach Post and WLRN Public Media.
