BROWARD COUNTY, FL - Nearly 80 municipal, tribal, county, and business leaders gathered at Tree Tops Park in Davie on Friday, October 4, for the second annual Broward Leaders Resilience Roundtable convened by Broward County officials to discuss the climate resilience challenges facing the county.
Elected officials and staff members from 25 of Broward County’s 31 municipalities attended the event, along with representatives of the Seminole Tribe of Florida, business leaders, and Broward County staff.
Broward County Commissioners Nan H. Rich and Beam Furr opened the event by expressing gratitude for the widespread participation by municipalities and the Seminole Tribe. They also highlighting the need for cooperation among local and tribal governments, the business community, and state and federal agencies to cope with the climate impacts in coming decades. Many of those impacts center on increased flood risk, due to changes to rainfall patterns, more intense tropical storms, and the capacity of the region’s drainage canals and water management systems.
Commissioner Furr, in his opening remarks, cited recent United Nations report on the effect of climate change on the oceans and polar/glacial regions of the planet and urged strong action on resilience, including efforts to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions responsible for climate change. “While some amount of sea level rise and other impacts are inevitable, right now, at this moment in history, we have a greater chance to minimize climate impacts than we will ever have. So this is not an issue we can keep kicking down the road,” Furr said.
Commissioner Rich reminded Roundtable participants of the need to be inclusive. “All communities, all interests need to be in the rooms, at the tables, where decisions are made on these very critical issues for our county,” she said. “I urge all of us in the room today to consider how our plans and infrastructure investments will affect the residents of Broward County, especially low-income people, and to make sure our resilience efforts don’t merely focus on roads and water systems and buildings, but also issues like affordable housing that contribute to making a more inclusive, more livable county for us all.”
The Roundtable also featured remarks by newly-appointed State of Florida Chief Resilience Officer Dr. Julia Nesheiwat, Broward Workshop chair Keith Koenig, and Assistant Broward County Administrator Alan Cohen. Dr. Nesheiwat applauded the work already underway in Broward County and southeast Florida and pledged the state’s support in aiding local resilience efforts, while Koenig pointed out that the region needs action now and can benefit not only from reducing risk to residents and businesses, but also developing a strong climate adaptation industry.
Representatives of the Seminole Tribe of Florida reminded Roundtable participants of their long history in Broward County. Healthy lands and waters are vital to the tribe’s cultural heritage, so the Seminole Tribe is very concerned about climate change and taking measures to adapt.
Broward County Chief Resilience Officer Dr. Jennifer L. Jurado reviewed the County’s resilience efforts to date and progress since last year’s Roundtable in a stage-setting presentation. “We don’t want to inherit the flood elevations…that we can anticipate. But what if we redesign our systems to help mitigate for that risk?” she asked as she outlined plans for a multi-year county-wide risk assessment and resilient infrastructure improvement plan included in the County’s Fiscal Year 2020 budget. This plan, identified by 2018 Resilience Roundtable participants as a top priority, and advanced by Broward County, will provide planning-level cost estimates and a prioritized list of capital projects and potential redevelopment strategies needed to reduce flood risk in the county.
Many municipal leaders highlighted resilience actions already taking place in their communities, including infrastructure improvements to prevent seawater backing up and flooding neighborhoods during high tides, drainage improvements, and hardening of critical facilities and infrastructure against flooding and wind. Many participants expressed a desire for an annual accounting of individual jurisdiction’s top resilience investments and policy advancements, to help build a comprehensive picture of the work underway in Broward County. Participants also found consensus on the need to better promote the county’s resilience efforts to the public, business community, credit rating agencies, insurance companies, and the national media.
Participants also discussed the urgent need for the US Army Corps of Engineers to conduct a risk mitigation feasibility study leading to construction for the Central and South Florida Flood Control Project, the canals and control structures which form the backbone of southern Florida’s water management system.
DATE: October 7, 2019
MEDIA CONTACT: Dr. Jennifer Jurado, Environmental Planning and Community Resilience
PHONE: 954-519-1270
EMAIL: jjurado@broward.org
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