Fort Lauderdale moves sustainability, resilience into Parks; new chief resiliency officer outlines net-zero and urban forestry goals

City staff introduced a new sustainability and special projects division moved into Parks & Recreation and presented the division’s early priorities.

Dr. Nancy Gassman, introduced as deputy director and chief resiliency officer, said the reorganization folds sustainability and climate resilience programs into parks and highlighted her background in marine biology and 18 years on water-resource issues. Gassman described the city’s Net Zero plan as a 15–20 year effort "to get to net 0 greenhouse gas emissions" and listed mitigation and adaptation strategies including energy efficiency, renewable energy deployment on city facilities and transportation measures to reduce emissions.

On urban forestry, Gassman said the city has a goal of reaching 33% tree canopy by 2040. Staff estimated the current canopy around 26.5% and said reaching the goal would require adding roughly 2.2 square miles of canopy and planting about 10,000 trees per year. The urban forestry master plan includes 62 recommendations grouped into four focus areas: increasing, preserving, maintaining canopy and public education.

Gassman also summarized grants and special projects: the sustainability team oversees roughly $7,000,000 in 13 rapid grants, with five pending agreements and multiple funding sources, and will prioritize opportunities that fit existing city programs.

Next steps: staff will post plans and supporting documents to the city website, pursue grant opportunities aligned with current work and continue public outreach on urban forestry and resilience initiatives.