Resilience officers for the four counties of Southeast Florida, and members of the Compact’s Staff Steering Committe, respond to a recent op-ed on the threat of rising sea levels to water supplies in the region. Read the full op-ed by Dr. Jennifer Jurado, Jim Murley, Rhonda Haag, and Megan Houston.
ORLANDO, Fla., Aug. 26 (UPI) — At least six states named climate change czars or chief executives over the past year, signalling a new level of concern in the United States. The new positions are appearing mostly in states controlled by Democrats. But Florida and North Carolina, both considered red or purple states, named chief resilience […]
Miami Gov. Ron DeSantis announced his pick for Florida’s first Chief Resilience Officer Thursday evening as Julia Nesheiwat, a deputy special envoy for hostage affairs at the State Department, confirming Miami Herald reporting from earlier this week.
Following the award-winning editorial collaboration “The Invading Sea”, six of the leading news organizations in Florida have formed a partnership to share stories and work together to report on the complex challenges of climate change.
This year, Monroe County has taken steps to adapt the county road systems to projected sea level rise and increased frequency of king tide flooding. In accordance with the Regional Climate Action Plan’s recommendation to prioritize adaptation investments to reduce the impact of flooding and sea level rise on transportation infrastructure, particularly on evacuation routes […]
Through policy leadership and collaboration across multiple city departments, the City of Miami Beach has successfully improved its Community Rating System (CRS) score from Class 6 to Class 5, which will increase flood insurance premiums savings from 20 to 25% citywide effective May 1, 2019. The CRS is a voluntary program under the Federal Emergency […]
In early February, a group of senior city and county staff from Compact partners met with Florida legislative and executive branch leaders in Tallahassee. The primary focus of the outreach was to increase state investment of time and resources in climate resilience activity. The main event was a resiliency briefing for legislators arranged by Rep. […]
EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler recently closed a nearly $100 million low-interest loan to the Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department. The loan, part of the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act program, aims to help the utility end wastewater discharges into the ocean, boost its peak capacity and make the system more resilient. A state mandate […]
Listen to the full interview here. Boston NPR Here & Now’s Eric Westervelt spoke with the Susy Torriente, chief resilience officer and assistant city Manager for the city of Miami Beach, as well as a valued Compact member. A new report by the Union of Concerned Scientists estimates more than 300,000 coastal homes in the […]
Governor Ron DeSantis’s first directives address sea level rise and the importance of science in environmental policy. Without an appointment to the position of chief science officer, it is unclear how these early initiatives will be carried out. Local governments are looking to the administration for support in adaptation efforts that cities and counties have […]