Project Summary

This project was inspired by the growing recognition that Florida is on the front line of the consequences of climate change, especially with regards to significant sea level rise, more intense and frequent hurricanes, more severe droughts, and more frequent periods of torrential rains.

Background

Florida’s extreme vulnerability to climate change impacts requires that urgent planning, policy, and management tools be developed for communities and state government. Florida is especially vulnerable to significant sea level rise, more intense and frequent hurricanes, more severe droughts, and more frequent periods of torrential rains. The Florida Planning Toolbox includes agricultural land conservation, benchmarking, coastal planning, diversity and social equity, economic development, education and health, housing, infill and redevelopment, land use planning and development, military community growth planning, natural systems conservation, public involvement and education, and water resource planning.

Implementation

The Florida Planning Toolbox was created to provide descriptions and examples of tools that protect and enhance natural resources, promote economic growth, and support sustainability. It was originally developed in 2006 for the Committee for a Sustainable Emerald Coast. From 2006 until 2010, it served as a repository of planning tools for the entire state. The Climate Change Tools section of the Toolbox provides a compilation of climate impacts information and includes planning by sectors, including adaptation, building (facilities and operations), economic development, education and outreach, land use planning, renewable green energy, transportation, urban landscapes, waste management, and water and wastewater; within each sector are priority recommendations. The adaptation section includes two main documents to help the state develop adaptation strategies: the South Florida Regional Planning Council's Climate Change Community Toolbox, which was created to assist the Miami-Dade Climate Change Task Force, and Florida's Resilient Coasts: A State Policy Framework for Adaptation to Climate Change, created by the Center for Urban and Environmental Solutions (CUES) at Florida Atlantic University.

Outcomes and Conclusions

The Toolbox compiled information on climate change and community planning and served as a resource for adaptation planning in Florida. Due to budget cuts, however, the tools have not been updated since 2010. In 2009, the Florida Atlantic University’s Center for Environmental Studies initiated an Integrative Collaboration on Climate and Energy (ICCE) program to continue advancing climate change adaptation and mitigation through an emphasis on stakeholder involvement and partnership with both government and non-governmental organizations, business communities, and the public. While ICEE and the Florida Planning Toolkit are no longer active, CUES and Florida Atlantic University’s Center for Environmental Studies continue to develop climate adaptation and resilience research, tools, and surveys to guide the state and local communities in adaptation planning.

Citation

Score, A. (2021). Florida Planning Toolbox: Climate Change Tools [Case study on a project of the Florida Atlantic University]. Version 2.0. Product of EcoAdapt's State of Adaptation Program. (Last updated June 2021)

Project Contacts