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Council approves Florida Resilient Coastlines adaptation plan grant despite concerns about 2028 timeline
Summary
Council approved a $150,000 Florida Resilient Coastlines Program grant to prepare an Adaptation Plan. Councilmember John Carroll criticized the consultant timeline stretching to March 2028; staff said the State requires phased public engagement and multiple deliverables.
The Vero Beach City Council approved a $150,000 cost-reimbursement grant under the Florida Resilient Coastlines Program to prepare an Adaptation Plan, but several councilmembers expressed concern about the consultant’s proposed delivery schedule.
Councilmember John Carroll questioned why tasks in the consultant scope would extend to March 2028, calling the timeline “crazy” given the council’s two-year terms and the program’s stated scope. Public Works Director Matt Mitts said the State’s program requires a heavy community-interaction element and multiple deliverables, and that the schedule reflected staff and consultant availability and required public meetings. Mitts described the vulnerability assessment approach as a statewide elevation model with staged analysis and noted the end product is a list of projects and cost estimates that would support future grant applications.
Councilmember Linda Moore, noting the grant is 100% state-funded and therefore costs the City nothing directly, moved to approve the item. The motion passed unanimously. Carroll asked staff to inquire whether the consultant could shorten the schedule.
