The Florida Always Ready Act would dedicate $100 million annually to develop and implement Florida’s first-ever Statewide Flooding and Sea Level Rise Resilience Plan and fund local resilience projects. SB 1954 calls for a statewide flood risk assessment, provides funding to local governments for planning and implementing flood resilience projects, and establishes the Florida Flood Hub for Applied Research and Innovation to leverage academic and research institutions in addressing the state’s flooding and sea level rise challenges. The bill would also authorize local governments to form regional resilience coalitions to coordinate intergovernmental solutions to mitigate flooding and sea level rise.
WHY WE LIKE IT
The Florida Always Ready Act marks the most robust agenda to mitigate flooding and sea level rise that the state of Florida has ever seen. A Statewide Flooding and Sea Level Rise Resilience Plan would align the state’s efforts toward prioritizing proactive solutions at a crucial moment, when local governments on the frontlines of flooding’s worst impacts desperately need the resources to scope, plan, and implement resilience projects. This bill is a critical step for Florida to hardwire statewide resilience planning with decisive actions that will protect people and communities from rising floodwaters.
