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City finalizes state-funded vulnerability assessment and moves to translate scenarios into shovel-ready projects
Summary
City staff said the state-funded vulnerability assessment is complete and reimbursed, and they described next steps to convert digital-scenario outputs into targeted projects and grant applications, including Hazard Mitigation Grant Program submissions.
Cassie Cordova, a city director who delivered the director’s report, said the vulnerability assessment funded through the state Resilient Florida grant was technically finished in September 2024 and that the city has received reimbursement of about $196,000. Cordova said the final technical document is long and highly technical and staff are producing a condensed "3-to-4-page" public summary and graphics for community outreach.
Cordova said the assessment is a scenario-driven digital twin rather than a prioritized list of projects. She explained that staff and elected officials selected scenarios to test — for example, coastal inundation, heat islands and basin-level flooding — and that the tool shows cost-benefit outputs when mitigation options are toggled. “The vulnerability assessment didn’t equate to here’s your top 50 projects,” Cordova said; instead staff will use the tool to identify which mitigations are most cost-effective and shovel-ready.
Public works and planning staff told the board they are using the assessment to support multiple grant submissions. Marcus Lawrence said the city has been preparing Hazard Mitigation Grant Program applications tied to scenarios from the assessment and that some projects are being refined into shovel-ready packages. Lawrence noted that federal and Army Corps permitting backlogs can affect schedules, and urged the board to support outreach that could strengthen applications.
Board members asked for clearer, mapped outputs showing which properties and neighborhoods are most exposed. Staff said they are modeling vulnerable basins, investigating creek sensors, and considering signage and educational materials. Cordova asked the board to act as a focus group for the condensed summary and suggested the board could provide letters of support for grant applications.
Ending
Staff said they will bring a public-facing summary of the vulnerability assessment to a future meeting, share maps of modeled basins, and continue preparing grant applications; the assessment will be used as a tool to prioritize projects rather than a prescriptive project list.
