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Fernandina Beach adopts state-funded flood adaptation plan with 17 strategies and 76 action items
Summary
The city adopted a Resilient Florida-funded flood adaptation plan that identifies downtown waterfront and special flood-hazard areas as priorities, outlines 17 strategies with 76 action items, and positions the city to apply for implementation grants for shovel-ready projects.
The Fernandina Beach City Commission voted to adopt a flood adaptation plan developed with funding from the State of Florida’s Resilient Florida program, a presentation and adoption that took place Aug. 19.
Patrick Doty, a senior resilience planner with HAF, told the commission the plan builds on a prior vulnerability assessment and identifies two high-priority areas—the historic downtown waterfront and FEMA-designated special flood-hazard zones. Doty said the plan contains 17 strategies and 76 accompanying actionable items that span nature-based approaches, protection (barriers/floodgates), accommodation (elevating structures), avoidance and managed relocation where necessary. He said the plan was informed by local watershed modeling, a public survey (more than 300 responses) and state statutory guidance tied to Resilient Florida grants.
Doty highlighted that nearly 10% of the city is already affected by tidal flooding during current conditions, with as much as one-third of the city vulnerable in a 100-year storm event, and described implementation pathways that include pursuing available Resilient Florida implementation funding for shovel-ready projects.
Commissioners asked technical questions about the FEMA flood‐map editions and NOAA sea‑level rise curves used to inform the plan; Doty and staff said the plan followed the statutorily prescribed curves but would incorporate newer technically sound data if it met acceptance criteria. Commissioners also discussed developing a resiliency staff position and integrating projects into the capital improvement plan and EAR comprehensive-plan update.
The commission adopted the resolution to formally accept the plan; staff said adoption makes the city eligible for Resilient Florida implementation grant cycles and that staff will prioritize early-action, high-impact projects for funding submissions.
The next steps spelled out by staff include coordinating departmental roles, identifying early-adopter projects, pursuing matching grant funds and returning to the commission with project-specific funding requests as projects become shovel-ready.
