The Planning Commission voted to initiate a comprehensive‑plan text amendment to create a dedicated resiliency element for Palm Beach County. Resilience staff described the proposed element as a consolidation and coordination tool to align county policies on climate adaptation, mitigation, sustainable development, social equity and regional collaboration.

Desi Koceras, resilience and sustainability analyst in the Office of Resilience, summarized the office’s intent to draft an element that draws on the county’s 2024 Climate Vulnerability Assessment and Resilience Action Plan and regional climate action planning. "The resiliency element will cohesively guide Palm Beach County and the Office of Resilience in proactive land use planning," Koceras told the commission.

Megan Houston, resilience director, said the initiative is intended to remove piecemeal treatment of resilience across different comprehensive plan elements and to create clearer, coordinated policies and implementation steps. Commissioners asked how the element would interact with existing emergency management and building regulations, whether flood‑finished‑floor elevation or wind mitigation approaches would be addressed, and what the likely economic impacts would be for developers and property owners. Staff responded that the initiation is the first step; detailed policy, departmental coordination and an economic analysis would follow in the drafting phase and subsequent public hearings.

A motion to initiate the resiliency element passed; the transcript records two commissioners opposed (Penny Pompey and Brian Stenberg). Staff emphasized this was an initiation only; any proposed policy language would return for full review and public hearings.

Why it matters: A dedicated resiliency element would give the county a single, consolidated policy framework to guide adaptation and mitigation measures, coordinate departmental roles (planning, building, emergency management, engineering), and prioritize equity‑focused outreach and investments.

What’s next: Staff will coordinate interdepartmental review and return with proposed text, impacts analysis and public outreach plans for Planning Commission and Board of County Commissioners consideration.