{"id":324724,"date":"2026-06-30T14:57:09","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T14:57:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/324724\/"},"modified":"2026-06-30T14:57:09","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T14:57:09","slug":"why-we-need-a-resilient-florida","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/324724\/","title":{"rendered":"Why we need a Resilient Florida"},"content":{"rendered":"

Extreme weather like hurricanes, tropical\u00a0storms\u00a0and\u00a0torrential\u00a0rainfall\u00a0are\u00a0facts of life\u00a0for many\u00a0Florida communities.\u00a0And\u00a0the risks\u00a0of such\u00a0weather\u00a0are increasing and worsening in severity with sea level rise, warming ocean temperatures and stressed ecosystems, making resilience-building\u00a0an\u00a0urgent\u00a0priority.\u00a0Despite these challenges, competing budget priorities\u00a0have\u00a0threatened\u00a0state\u00a0funding\u00a0that\u00a0would\u00a0enable\u00a0local governments to advance\u00a0resilience-building\u00a0solutions\u2014that is until motivated groups<\/a>\u00a0<\/a>across\u00a0business\u00a0and environmental sectors\u00a0came together to advocate\u00a0for\u00a0funding\u00a0to mitigate flooding impacts and build resilience.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lawmakers\u00a0met these\u00a0demands and\u00a0recently\u00a0allocated\u00a0$160 million to the\u00a0Resilient Florida<\/a>\u00a0program, which helps communities\u00a0identify\u00a0flood risks and implement projects that protect homes, businesses,\u00a0infrastructure\u00a0and natural resources.\u00a0It was made official when Governor Ron DeSantis signed\u00a0the budget\u00a0in late June.\u00a0<\/p>\n

EDF\u00a0supports\u00a0this\u00a0decision\u00a0and\u00a0urges leaders to consider\u00a0expanding\u00a0resilience\u00a0funding\u00a0in the future.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

The importance of a program like Resilient Florida\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Resilient Florida has invested over\u00a0$1.8 billion\u00a0to resilience planning and projects since its\u00a0inception\u00a0in 2021, and the program continues to receive strong bipartisan support due to its success and popularity.\u00a0It\u00a0supports the entire state and gives local leadership\u00a0opportunities to advance\u00a0solutions that address their community\u2019s unique flooding challenges.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Investing in resilience is not only about protecting people, property, and infrastructure; it is also a smart economic decision.\u00a0Research has found<\/a>\u00a0that every dollar invested in resilience can save as much as $13 in avoided disaster damages, recovery\u00a0costs\u00a0and economic disruption.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Credit: Chase Guttman<\/p>\n

Why Florida needs to invest in resilience solutions\u00a0<\/p>\n

Over the last decade,\u00a0Florida\u00a0has endured over\u00a0$270 billion\u00a0in damages<\/a>\u00a0from hurricanes.\u00a0We\u00a0need\u00a0to\u00a0invest\u00a0in\u00a0projects\u00a0that\u00a0help communities prepare for these worsening\u00a0impacts, and there are many innovative\u00a0ideas\u00a0already\u00a0in the works.\u00a0By harnessing nature\u00a0and\u00a0utilizing\u00a0its\u00a0processes\u00a0like\u00a0restored wetlands, living shorelines\u00a0and\u00a0sand dunes, we\u00a0can reduce\u00a0storm surge\u00a0and mitigate\u00a0flood\u00a0risk.\u00a0Florida\u2019s\u00a0Department of Environmental Protection\u00a0can\u00a0also\u00a0form\u00a0clear\u00a0guidelines\u00a0aimed at\u00a0fast\u00a0tracking\u00a0nature-based solutions.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

One project that\u00a0showcases\u00a0the success of Resilient Florida investment is the Titusville Causeway multi-trophic shoreline project. This project, which has restored\u00a02,600 feet\u00a0of shoreline, installed wave attenuation devices, and planted seagrass\u00a0demonstrates\u00a0how nature-based solutions can help communities adapt to changing conditions. By\u00a0combining shoreline stabilization with habitat restoration, the project is reducing erosion, improving ecosystem\u00a0health\u00a0and strengthening the resilience of an important\u00a0transportation corridor.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Furthermore, the project provides valuable lessons for communities and leaders across the state. The techniques and partnerships developed through this effort inform future resilience investments,\u00a0demonstrating\u00a0how nature-based solutions can become an increasingly important part of Florida\u2019s strategy for managing flood risk and protecting vulnerable coastlines.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Moving forward\u00a0<\/p>\n

Federal\u00a0assistance\u00a0has become less predictable, which\u00a0is\u00a0why it is so critical for Florida leadership to use state funding to prepare communities ahead of disasters. Resilient Florida serves as a prime example of what other states can do to empower local leaders to build resilient communities.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Without\u00a0continued, strong\u00a0funding\u00a0for Resilient Florida, we can expect local projects to be canceled or delayed, leaving communities less prepared to combat increasing risks from extreme weather events.\u00a0<\/p>\n

EDF joins the many other business and environmental groups in supporting the $160 million\u00a0allocated\u00a0by lawmakers for Resilient\u00a0Florida. We urge the governor\u00a0to continue supporting resilience investments, as well as seek private-public partnerships to\u00a0further\u00a0expand\u00a0funding\u00a0streams,\u00a0ensuring\u00a0Florida\u00a0not only meets the growing demand but\u00a0stays resilient for years to come.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Extreme weather like hurricanes, tropical\u00a0storms\u00a0and\u00a0torrential\u00a0rainfall\u00a0are\u00a0facts of life\u00a0for many\u00a0Florida communities.\u00a0And\u00a0the risks\u00a0of such\u00a0weather\u00a0are increasing and worsening in severity with sea…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":324725,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[28,30,29],"class_list":["post-324724","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-florida","tag-florida","tag-florida-headlines","tag-florida-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/324724","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=324724"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/324724\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/324725"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=324724"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=324724"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=324724"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}