Last Wednesday Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed Senate Bill 1954 into law to safeguard coastal communities by preparing for rising sea levels, stronger storms, and elevated flooding. The bill was signed at a press conference in Tarpon Springs, Florida.

The bill will fund a three-year project, from 2021 to 2023, aimed to provide a coordinated approach to maintain Florida’s coastal and inland resiliency. This new law will be invaluable in bolstering natural defenses to protect Florida from rising sea levels and flooding.

The historically largest investment by the State, the bill appropriated $640 million to make state and local communities ready to manage the impacts of these threats. This will be done by strengthening and maintaining Florida’s essential natural defenses: inland waterways, coastlines, and shores and coral reefs.

“Since day one, the resiliency of our state has been a top priority for my administration,” stated Governor Ron DeSantis. “This legislation will allow us to build on historic investments and progress by ensuring communities have the resources they need for resilience planning and project implementation as well as creating a framework for a cohesive, coordinated approach to address the impacts of sea level rise, intensified storms, and localized flooding.”

Senate Bill 1954 will direct money as follows:

• $500 million in federal funding for the Statewide Flooding and Sea Level Rise Resilience Plan to implement statewide resilience projects.
• $29 million for establishment of the Resilient Florida Grant Program, and to fund Program planning efforts.
• $100 million beginning in 2022 for Resilient Florida Grant Program projects in partnership with local communities.   
• $12.5 million for resilience projects and coral reef protection through the Resilient Coastlines Initiative.

The Comprehensive Statewide Flood Vulnerability and Sea Level Rise Assessment is to be submitted by July 1, 2023 and is intended to support preparation of the Statewide Flooding and Sea Level Rise Resilience Plan which is to be submitted by Dec. 1, 2023.

The preparation of the Assessment is to be informed by the Comprehensive Statewide Flood Vulnerability and Sea Level Rise Data Set, required to be completed by July 1, 2022. The development of this data set is required by the bill and will facilitate the development of statewide sea level rise projections and other data necessary to determine the risks to inland and coastal communities.

The bill requires the development of the Florida Flood Hub for Applied Research and Innovation at the University of South Florida to coordinate efforts between the academic and research institutions of Florida. Also required is the development of Regional Resilience Coalitions by local governments to include local communities in the resilience planning efforts.

Lt. Governor Jeanette Nuñez stated: “When Governor DeSantis and I were elected in 2018, we made protecting Florida’s environment one of the top priorities of our administration. I applaud the Legislature for unanimously voting to protect our coastal communities and waterways from the threats of storm surge and tidal flooding. As Floridians, we have a solemn responsibility to protect our natural treasures. Today, we put Floridians first. We are proud of our efforts to mitigate the effects of flooding and sea level rise for future generations to come.”

House Speaker Chris Sprowls stated: “To protect Floridians and their communities, the Legislature passed the most robust flooding legislation that addresses the impacts of flooding and sea level rise in the nation,” said. “I’d like to thank Governor DeSantis for supporting not only our flooding agenda to prepare our state and our residents for the effects of flooding and sea level rise, but for being a champion for Florida’s environment. Today, we are making our state ‘Always Ready’ for decades to come.”

Senator Ray Rodrigues stated: “With 1,350 miles of coastline at relatively low elevations Florida is particularly vulnerable to coastal flooding. Over time, the combined effects of sea level rise, storm surges, and extreme rain events will have a significant impact. We have a duty to responsibly plan for the future to address this emerging public safety issue. I’m honored to be a part of this important collaboration between the House, Senate, and Governor DeSantis to address a critical infrastructure need that will benefit generations of Floridians.”

Senate President Wilton Simpson stated: “This great legislation elevates flood mitigation as a critical part of Florida’s public safety infrastructure.  With 35 coastal counties containing the majority of our population and economy, our risks are only going to increase with time. With this legislation, Florida can become a national example of resilient communities. I’m grateful to Speaker Sprowls for his vision and leadership on this key issue, to Senator Rodrigues for his tremendous work in moving this key legislation through the Senate, and to Governor DeSantis, who has made environmental restoration and protection a pillar of his agenda over the last three years.”

Julie Wraithmell, vice president and executive director of Audubon Florida stated: “Audubon recognizes that climate change is the biggest threat to Florida’s future prosperity and well-being.  This legislation represents a commitment to meeting this challenge with ingenuity and resources. Florida already has some of the nation’s best examples of working with nature to meet rising sea levels while preserving our iconic coastal communities and habitat, and we look forward to 21st century green infrastructure solutions leading the way. Audubon thanks Governor DeSantis and the Florida Legislature for recognizing climate-fueled extreme weather and pollution are universal experiences in Florida and for taking this important step towards climate recovery in the Sunshine State.”

Temperince Morgan, executive director of The Nature Conservancy in Florida stated: “With the Resilient Florida program, Florida will now have tools and funding to reduce the impacts of climate change — including sea level rise and flooding — on people and critical assets including shorelines and conservation lands.  Importantly, this bill promotes the use of nature-based solutions to reduce flood risk and authorizes funding for regional climate/resilience collaboratives to allow communities to join in resilience planning efforts and share technical assistance. The Nature Conservancy works hand-in-hand with the state’s climate/resilience coalitions in developing strategies to strengthen community resilience. Governor DeSantis and the Florida Legislature have made their focus on conservation and support for the environment a priority through the allocation of significant funding to programs that are critical to a sustainable future for our state and our health and well-being. Thanks to the positive strides taken by Governor DeSantis and the Florida Legislature, conservation in our state continues to move in a productive direction.”

Dawn Shirreffs, state director of The Environmental Defense Fund, stated: “This legislation will help Florida safeguard our communities from climate change impacts and help local communities invest in their resilience. We look forward to continuing to work with the legislature and DeSantis administration on this unprecedented opportunity to ensure natural infrastructure is leveraged as a defense against sea level rise, flooding, and increasingly strong hurricanes in Florida”.