Melbourne Beach updates vulnerability assessment to seek state resilience funds as residents report severe street flooding

Melbourne Beach officials and consultants on Thursday described an updated climate vulnerability assessment required by state regulators and intended to make the town eligible for FDEP Resilient Florida implementation grants, and residents urged immediate action after reporting severe street flooding in Basin 10.

Interim Town Manager Lisa Frazier opened the meeting, saying, "This evening we're talking about our vulnerability assessment," and noted the county-facilitated grant that brought the consultants to the town at no cost. Kelsey Mack, an environmental scientist with the project team who said she is a Melbourne Beach resident, summarized the assessment's purpose: "We are identifying risks and planning for the future when it comes to impacts from climate change, and storm related, storm related impacts."

Why it matters: the assessment is the first step required by state statute and Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) guidance to apply for Resilient Florida implementation funding, consultants said. The consultant team described modeling scenarios that will be run for current…