Florida lawmakers are considering a statewide sea-level rise task force. Members would help create “consensus projections” for sea-level rise and flooding impacts.
From local planning councils to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, different agencies are making their own sea-level rise projections. And they’re not all the same. That means when governments make planning decisions, they’re not all basing their choices on the same information. Under a bill by Lighthouse Point Republican Representative Chip Lamarca, the state would create its own official projection to be used for government-funded projects. “The goal of this task force is to help recommend building practices, planning practices in dealing with sea-level rise," Lamarca said. Lamarca’s bill would also create the statewide office of resiliency to be run by the state’s Chief Resiliency Officer.