Governor Teresa Calloway signed the Coastal Resilience Act on Wednesday at Pelican Point, on a stretch of beach that lost forty feet of dune during last year’s storms. The law commits $1.2 billion over ten years to protect 48 coastal communities from rising water and stronger hurricanes.
Most of the money goes to work that can start next spring: raising seawalls in Vice City and Port Gellhorn, rebuilding dunes along 60 miles of beach and restoring mangroves that slow storm surge in the Keys. Every project is scored on how many homes it protects for each dollar spent.
We are not going to wait for the next storm to decide what our coast is worth. This law pays for the work before the water arrives.
What changes for residents
Homeowners in evacuation zones A and B can apply for grants of up to $25,000 to elevate their homes or install storm shutters, starting in March. Counties will publish their project lists online, with a map of every site and its schedule.
An independent board of engineers and coastal scientists will report to the Legislature every year on what has been built and what it has cost.
