Statewide Resilience Resources

Statewide Resilience Resources 

Resilience Initiatives  

Florida Department of Commerce Community Planning: Adaptation Planning 

From 2011-2017, the Florida Department of Commerce led the Community Resiliency Initiative in partnership with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and with assistance from the Division of Emergency Management. The initiative’s goal was to provide technical assistance to coastal communities interested in pursuing innovative planning and development strategies that ensure their long-term vitality while addressing current and future coastal flooding risks. 

The effort was steered by a focus group of statewide experts on adaptation and coastal vulnerability  as well as stakeholders in the coastal area. The initiative culminated in adaptation planning pilots conducted in three communities across the state beginning in late 2015. The Florida Department of Commerce also received funding to facilitate a pilot project in Fort Lauderdale and Broward County that implemented the state’s first Adaptation Action Area. 

The Community Resilience Initiative was funded by the Florida Coastal Management Program, a NOAA approved program that provides the basis for protecting, restoring and responsibly developing the nation’s diverse coastal communities and resources. 

National Estuarine Research Reserve System 

The National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) system is a network of 29 coastal sites designated to protect and study estuarine systems, where rivers meet the sea. NERRs offer local, science-based training and education programs as well as unique recreational opportunities. 

In Florida, the NERRs are managed by DEP’s Office of Resilience and Coastal Protection in cooperation with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Office of Coastal Management.  

This document showcases just some of the important  resiliency work completed by the Florida NERRs 

Technical Resilience Tools 

• Water Atlas - to help communities make informed decisions by providing up-to-date water resource information. 
• NOAA Climate Change Information Portal
• NOAA Digital Coast
• NOAA Tides and Currents Inundation Dashboard
• EPA Climate Change Research
• Climate Central
• South Florida Regional Climate Compact
• Florida Seafloor Mapping Initiative 
• Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI)
• CRI Documents
• Water Resource Funding in Florida
• Application Guide: 2022 Sea Level Rise Technical Report 
• NOAA Coastal Flood Exposure Mapper
• Northern Gulf of Mexico Sentinel Site Cooperative Gulf TREE
• Coastal Adaptation and Resilience Tools Initiative (CART)
• Sea Level Impact Projection Study (SLIP)

Webinars 

Quarterly Resilience Forum - Coordination is one of the most critical pieces of the Resilient Florida Program. RF hosts a quarterly webinar forum that allows attendees from all over the state to hear what their counterparts are working on. Participants provide project updates, introduce new resources and, most importantly, engage with each other asking for advice and recommendations. Audience members include consultants as well as staff from city, county, state and federal government entitles, universities and nongovernmental organizations.

Southeast and Caribbean Disaster Resilience Partnership (SCDRP): SECOORA - Monthly and annual resilience partnership meetings. 

EPA Tools and Resources Webinar Series - EPA's Office of Research and Development hosts this monthly public webinar series to translate EPA research and share research resources and information that are useful, practical/applied and available to meet research needs of states/territories and other entities such as tribes, local governments, and communities. In addition, the EPA Tools and Resources Training Webinar Series provides in-depth overviews and step-by-step tutorials on popular EPA science-based models and tools. 

Southeast Climate Webinar  - Monthly webinar is held on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 10 a.m. ET. This series is hosted by the Southeast Regional Climate Center, the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) and the NOAA National Weather Service. These webinars provide the region with timely information on current and developing climate conditions such as drought, floods and tropical storms, as well as climatic events like El Niño and La Niña.  

Resilience Guidebooks and Handbooks  

Florida Adaptation Planning Guidebook - The Florida Adaptation Planning Guidebook is a compilation of more than five years of stakeholder involvement and research during the Community Resiliency Initiative (CRI) as part of the Florida Coastal Management Plan. The guidebook is scalable and intended to be used by local government planners in cities and counties of any size, providing a framework to develop an initial or update an existing, adaptation plan. Focusing on four steps – Establish the Context, Assess Vulnerability, Identify Adaptation Strategies and Plan Strategy Implementation – the guidebook contains best practices and resources useful to any coastal community. 

Post-Disaster Redevelopment Planning Guidebook: Updated Resilience Addendum - Since the original publication of the Addendum in 2012, the topic of resilience has taken a more prominent position in many of Florida’s coastal communities. Increased sunny-day flooding and severe tropical weather has reinforced the importance of planning. This updated addition to Post-Disaster Redevelopment Planning: A Guide for Florida represents the fifth phase of the Statewide Post-Disaster Redevelopment Planning Initiative, expanding best practices guidance related to coastal communities and considering ways to address sea level rise adaptation during the long-term recovery process. 

Post-Disaster Guidance for Floodplain Administrators  - This toolkit is a reference for floodplain administrators, building officials, emergency managers and others to prepare for and respond to flooding, whether frequent or rare events.