Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Climate Resilience topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
County presents flood vulnerability assessment; storm surge poses greatest risk to critical assets
Summary
Pinellas County presented a Resilient Florida–required critical infrastructure flood vulnerability assessment showing storm surge as the dominant flood driver, exposing transportation networks and a notable share of fire stations and other assets; staff will finalize the assessment to submit to the state and follow with an adaptation plan by September.
Pinellas County staff on Tuesday presented the countywide critical infrastructure flood vulnerability assessment required under the Resilient Florida statute and outlined next steps to pursue adaptation funding.
Staff and consultant HDR evaluated 21 flood scenarios across three time horizons and found storm surge to be the dominant risk driver. The analysis identified regionally significant assets — including the airport, the solid waste complex and major evacuation routes — as exposed under multiple scenarios. Transportation infrastructure was particularly vulnerable: staff reported more than one‑third of roadways and over half of bridge assets show exposure under certain storm surge scenarios, and roughly 24% of fire stations were exposed in a near‑future storm scenario highlighted by the consultants.
Public engagement included a countywide workshop, community events and a virtual meeting that yielded more than 500 survey responses. Residents reported flooding’s effect on daily life, stressing impacts to roads, electricity and communications.
Next steps: the county will finalize and submit the vulnerability assessment to the state by March and complete an adaptation plan by September to qualify for additional Resilient Florida grant funding for prioritized infrastructure projects. Staff also noted significant grant awards already received under the program for wastewater upgrades, living shoreline and creek cleanup projects.
Commissioners asked whether municipalities were planning rebuilds for damaged fire stations; staff said cities participating in the study have the data and staff would follow up with local jurisdictions for specific adaptation plans.
