Northeast Florida Regional Analysis of Resilience Priorities
An assessment of resilience-related progress and needs within the Northeast Florida Region.
Introduction
In 2022, the Northeast Florida Regional Council (NEFRC) began to conduct a regional analysis of resilience priorities for the seven counties (Baker, Clay, Duval, Flagler, Nassau, Putnam, and St. John) within the region. The NEFRC, in partnership with the Town of Baldwin, obtained a Resilient Florida grant from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to develop an understanding of the resiliency work throughout the region, including an inventory of completed, in progress, planned, and needed projects. Resiliency work is any type of project that increases the ability to bounce back from the effects of climate change, including studies, planning, and implementation of natural and hardened infrastructure. Chief Resilience Officers and other resiliency points of contact provided information that has helped in assessing where there are data gaps and needs, to aid with future resilience planning for the region.
Regional Resilience Infrastructure
A portion of this analysis was dedicated to acquiring spatial data for existing resilience-related infrastructure mapped by the Counties and jurisdictions within the Region. At the time of this assessment, most of the data available was for stormwater infrastructure and potential flooding impacts, which are relevant to resiliency as the region prepares to address the major threat of flooding through potential changes to its stormwater infrastructure to allow larger volumes of water to be diverted. The counties and municipalities are at different stages in their resiliency journey, so the amount of data they have varies greatly. The maps for each County,with a sample of the data used in resiliency planning, are included below.
Baker County
Baker County
Currently, data provided on resiliency projects are in a non-spatial format. However, Baker County has recently applied for Resilient Florida funding to conduct a vulnerability assessment, so additional data may be available soon. For more information, please contact the NEFRC.
Clay County
Clay County provided stormwater infrastructure data including retention ponds, storm pipes, and storm structures. Examples of storm structures include catch basins, curb inlets, flumes, end treatments, etc. A geographic breakdown of the County is provided below.
Duval County
As an example of what preparing for resiliency looks like in Duval County, the City of Atlantic Beach provided inundation data utilized in their vulnerability analysis. This data combined rainfall inundation along with storm suge inundation projections for three dates.
Flagler County
Flagler County Engineering provided a series of data on end treatments, stormwater survey points, County stormwater system locations, and Coastline Protection Plan locations. At this point, the data is preliminary and the data is still being edited by the County.
Nassau County
Nassau County provided a series of data on water courses, stormwater structures, Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHAs), and other key infrastructure throughout the County.
Putnam County
Putnam County
Currently, data provided on resiliency projects are in a non-spatial format. However, Putnam County has recently received Resilient Florida funding to conduct a vulnerability assessment, so additional data will be available soon.
St. Johns County
St. Johns County provided a series of stormwater data from throughout the County and from the City of St. Augustine. Those features are mapped below.
Inventory of Regional Resilience Projects
The following infographic dashboard provides information on the projects provided by the local jurisdictions, including the status, types, and if there is a relationship with the respective jurisdictional Local Mitigation Strategy. It also provides information on the types of infrastructure that implementation projects have altered (or will alter in the future). This information indicates the priorities for future resiliency work.
Status of Resiliency Projects
This graphic shows the current status of those provided resiliency projects throughout the region. It demonstrates that while there is a large portion of projects that have not yet been started, a great portion of work has already been completed or is underway.
Type of Resiliency Projects
This graphic shows the breakdown of the types of resiliency projects in the region. It clearly demonstrates a strong priority placed on implementation (see below for types of implementation projects). However, it also demonstrates that Northeast Florida understands the need for strong studies, mapping, planning and other activities that increase resiliency.
Infrastructure to be Altered in Regional Implementation Projects
This bar graph breaks down all the types of infrastructure that have been or will be altered by implementation projects. It demonstrates that while there is a large portion of projects to alter drainage, many other type of features also require alterations, including natural and hardened infrastructure.
Implemented Features Breakdown
This graph illustrates that while drainage may seem to dwarf other issues, when all the other infrastructure types that are to be altered are taken into consideration, they actually form a majority. Therefore it is important to appropriately weigh the priority of each alteration in light of resiliency criteria.
Relationship of Resiliency Projects to Local Mitigation Strategies (LMS)
This graphic illustrates the proportion of resiliency projects that are included in Local Mitigation Strategies (LMS), which are long-standing plans all counties have that identify and address the natural hazards that may affect them. The LMS is developed by a diverse team, and although it is mainly viewed through the lens of emergency management, several elements of it are relevant to resiliency. This graphic indicates that there is support for the project from multiple entities at different levels, including from an emergency management perspective.
Conclusion
Northeast Florida has a wide array of resiliency work in progress and on the horizon. Both counties and municipalities are addressing resilience according to their specific needs. There is a great deal of spatial data available to address current needs and can also be used in future planning. However, additional data and analysis is needed. This assessment is a first step as Northeast Florida works toward creating a Regional Resiliency Action Plan.