Riviera Beach outlines $33 million stormwater plan, FEMA-funded vulnerability study under way

City of Riviera Beach staff and consultants on Wednesday summarized a recently completed stormwater master plan and an ongoing, FEMA-funded vulnerability assessment that the city says will guide future capital work and funding decisions.

City Manager Evans opened the meeting by stressing the stakes. "Stormwater is a critical element in our community," he said, and the presentation that followed laid out where the city's infrastructure is most vulnerable and how much remediation planners estimate it will require.

The master plan update, completed in February 2024, found an incomplete drainage-asset inventory and modeling based on 2007 conditions that needs updating to reflect current land uses and higher precipitation events. Consultants from WSB told the City that the update identified 42 continuing capital-improvement items from the 2007 plan and 14 new items in the 2024 plan, with an estimated total cost of $33,000,000.

"Once we know where the vulnerabilities are and the condition, we can then maximize implementation of our capital dollars," said Terrence Bailey, the city's capital projects manager and city engineer. Bailey…