News Update
Southwest Florida cities, counties join resiliency compact
Staff report
Enviro-Net
Audubon Florida announced that all 14 coastal jurisdictions in Southwest Florida have now voted to join the Southwest Florida Resiliency Compact.
With Collier County joining the others as of Apr. 12, the entire southwest Florida coast has taken the step to augment the region’s ability to protect its natural resources and bolster its resilience to changing climactic conditions.
The list of participating jurisdictions includes Collier County; Lee County; Charlotte County; the cities of Punta Gorda, Sanibel, Fort Myers, Naples, Bonita Springs, Everglades, Marco Island and Cape Coral; the town of Fort Myers Beach; the village of Estero; and the Captiva Erosion Prevention District.
The cities and counties that joined committed to collaboratively identifying and addressing the effects of climate change, such as sea level rise, intensifying hurricanes and erosion. Members will share scientific data and planning tools, develop a unified action plan, and support one another as they prepare for, adapt to, and mitigate climate change impacts.
Audubon believes that regions that are organized into compacts are better poised to demonstrate their readiness and capacity for state-coordinated efforts, including funding.
Florida's proposed resilience budget addresses the challenges of sea level rise, intensified storm events, and localized flooding by establishing the Resilient Florida program that would provide $1 billion in grants over four years to state and local governments.