Resiliency has become a primary focus for Florida’s leaders as they confront the challenges of statewide flooding and sea-level rise. Last year, the Legislature passed SB 1954/HB 7019, formally known as the Resilience Act. The Act created the Resilient Florida Grant Program within the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), allowing counties and municipalities to apply for grants to address environmental issues. 


Governor DeSantis, in partnership with DEP, has released a three-year Flooding and Sea Level Rise Resilience Plan, allocating over $270 million to 76 projects in the state. Approximately 29.38% of the funds were allocated to county resilient projects, while 45.38% were apportioned to municipalities, 18.21% to the St. Johns River Water Management District, and 7.02% to miscellaneous projects. 

This 14% increase from 2020 to 2021 can be attributed to several critical issues, including but not limited to aging prisons, limited funding, and employee attrition and turnover rates. According to testimony from the Deputy Secretary of the Department of Corrections, Ricky Dixon, the pandemic has exacerbated these issues, forcing most officers to work 13.5-hour shifts with extended times of “unmanned critical posts,” in which officers are left to supervise inmates alone or with minimal support.  

 

Since 2014, the state has increased overtime spending for officers to approximately $68.2 million to accommodate the need for inmate supervision.  

Among the determined projects are water rehabilitation, stormwater modifications, shoreline stabilization, seawall installation, and more.  

To view a complete list of the projects, click here.  

For a detailed list and summary of the projects by county, click here. 

 

Additional Resources: 

Protecting Florida – DEP: Resilient Florida Program FAQs (protectingfloridatogether.gov)