Introduction

Miami-Dade County faces an unprecedented challenge in the coming decades to adapt to climate change and sea level rise.

Miami-Dade County Sea Level Rise Strategy

March 23, 2021

bird's eye view of beach meeting the blue ocean with people and umbrellas on the beach

How sea levels are changing

Sea levels have risen about nine inches since 1930. Places that flooded once or twice a year now flood 10 or 12 times a year. As sea levels rise, the frequency, duration and depth of flooding will increase.

To plan for future sea level rise, the County relies upon the 2019 Unified Sea Level Rise Projection for Southeast Florida developed by the Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact. These projections are revised every five years to ensure they reflect the best available science. Based on these consensus projections, we expect sea levels to be approximately two feet higher 40 years from 2019 levels and continue rising beyond that.

Graph showing multiple upward trending curves representing the unified sea level rise projections used by Miami-Dade County with about 2 ft of sea level rise by 2060 and between 3-10 ft by 2100. — **Sea levels will be about two feet higher 40 years from now**

Impacts of rising sea levels

Our water system is interconnected: higher sea level leads to higher groundwater along the coast and changes the way water moves through our canals. Because of these connections, even inland communities will be affected as it becomes more challenging to drain water off the terrain.

Because we live just a few feet above the ocean and a few feet above our groundwater, small changes in sea level ripple through our entire water system.

**Higher sea level amplifies all flood hazards**

The County and our partners have been working for years to understand the current and potential impacts of sea level rise on people, housing, transportation, natural areas, freshwater systems, freshwater sources, beaches and dunes, critical facilities and drainage systems.

Read the Summary of Impacts

The 3-D Sea Level Rise Viewer allows planners and residents to view the building impacts of sea level rise, from one foot to six feet.

Benefits of investing in adaptation

01 / 05

Investing $1 today in flood hazard mitigation can save $7 in the future.

Aerial image of downtown Miami and Biscayne Bay including high rise buildings and roads and bridges appear near water's edge.

In Miami-Dade County, every $1 invested in protecting buildings against high tides and 10-year storms with floodproofing, elevation and permeable surfaces will save $9 and create 3,000+ job years by 2040.

Every $1 invested in community-wide measures like green infrastructure and sea walls will save $5 and create 15,000+ job years by 2040.

photo of a wet road at sunset with reflection on the puddle

Road-raising in Miami Beach can increase property values 5 to 14% per foot of elevation, and elevating homes can increase property values 3.6% per foot of elevation.

picture of south beach main commercial district with cars and shops and palm trees

A relatively small initial increase in construction costs to reduce vulnerability is significantly less expensive than the costs of repairing and replacing unprotected assets.

In Miami-Dade County, an additional $6 million investment in resilience measures could protect more than $158 million in capital projects and avoid $24 million in damage and repairs.

Community perspectives

Community collaboration was essential in developing the Strategy. In workshops and at community events, diverse stakeholders helped us identify benefits and limitations of pursuing different approaches in specific neighborhoods.

In an online survey, 400 participants selected their top priorities to increase the resilience of their communities. The priorities were:

Protecting lives and promoting safety during storms

Promoting equitable outcomes for all communities

Reducing water pollution to improve water quality

Protecting natural areas

Reducing emissions that contribute to climate change and sea level rise

photo of group of people sitting down at a table discussing the images and posters on the table

We also asked how community members would spend money to adapt to sea level rise if they were the mayor of their municipality. The solutions they would dedicate the most funding to included:

Strengthening building codes

Implementing local and regional drainage improvements

Increasing and preserving natural barriers (such as mangroves)

Increasing open space

workshop participants stand and look at a poster showing a map of different areas of the County with yellow post-it notes pasted on the poster.

Guiding principles

From conversations with communities and departments in Miami-Dade County, key principles were identified that should guide all local decisions, investments and programs as our community adapts to sea level rise in the coming decades.

All adaptation actions must:

Make us safer over time by helping to protect lives and incrementally protecting the community from storms and multiple flood risks. They should not increase vulnerability to other hazards.

Reduce environmental pollution by not adding greenhouse gas emissions or other pollutants to our air and waterways. Adaptation actions should not be implemented at the expense of the environment and human health.

Be equitable by recognizing that historic, unjust discriminatory policies have led some of our residents to have fewer resources to adapt to impacts from climate change. Actions should be driven by inclusive engagement, fair policies, and direct investments and resources to target these disparities.

Build with nature by working with natural processes and natural materials to address long-term flooding hazards.

Be flexible and able to respond to changing conditions, such as faster rates of sea level rise.

Align with other initiatives and plans such as the Miami-Dade County Comprehensive Development Master Plan, the Long-Range Transportation Plan, the Parks and Open Space Systems Master Plan, the Resilient305 Strategy, the South Florida Water Management District re-study of the Central and Southern Flood Resiliency Study and others.

Continue learning about Miami Dade County's Sea Level Rise Strategy and explore Our History of Living with Water .