In 2015, the Florida Legislature passed Senate Bill 1094, titled “Peril of Flood”. The new law, which became effective July 1, 2015, specifies new requirements for the coastal management element of a local government’s comprehensive plan related to coastal flooding and the related impacts of sea level rise.
Regional Peril of Flood Initiatives
To comply with the Peril of Flood requirements, local governments must address development and redevelopment strategies to reduce flood risk.
Presently, the Tampa Bay area has experienced what an acute amount of rainfall can do in terms of damage. For instance, in 2015 the area experienced 7-9 inches of rain. Hurricane Harvey also set a precedent by showing that a storm could stall and double or triple rainfall totals for an area. The likelihood of a repeat event is not that far on the horizon. Since 1946 the Tampa Bay Area has seen a mean sea level rise increase of 7.8 inches.
In 2018, the TBRPC received a grant from the Florida Resilient Coastlines Program in the Florida Coastal Office of DEP with funding from NOAA’s Florida Coastal Management Program. The TBRPC organized meetings with Community Redevelopment Agencies (CRAs) for Hillsborough County and Pinellas County to discuss resiliency for business districts and affordable housing.
A one-day workshop “Conducting Social Vulnerability Assessments” reviewed demographic factors that increase resilience vulnerability and reviewed the CDC Social Vunlerability Index tool and ESRI Community Analyst databases. Planning and housing experts from USF, UF and Manatee County presented new data and assessments of market risks and flood risks to affordable housing, and identified strategies for mapping specific aspects of community vulnerability.
