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Northeast Florida by Maurice Postal Keith Joiner Tobin Lilly

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Northeast Florida by Maurice Postal Keith Joiner Tobin Lilly Northeast Florida by Maurice Postal Keith Joiner Tobin Lilly The Likelihood of Shore Protection, Volume 2. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency February 2010. The following document can be cited as: Postal, M., K. Joiner, and T. Lilly. 2010. “Northeast Florida.” In James G. Titus, Daniel L Trescott, and Daniel E. Hudgens (editors). The Likelihood of Shore Protection along the Atlantic Coast of the United States. Volume 2: New England and the Southeast. Report to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Washington, D.C. The opinions expressed herein are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official opinion of the Environmental Protection Agency. The primary referring page for this document is http://risingsea.net/ERL/FL.html Chapter 5: NORTHEAST FLORIDA by Maurice Postal Keith Joiner Tobin Lilly 323 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................................... 325 Regional Background ........................................................................................................... 325 Purpose of this Study............................................................................................................ 326 Report Outline....................................................................................................................... 328 ESTIMATES OF SEA LEVEL RISE..................................................................................... 330 Causes and Indications of Sea Level Rise ........................................................................... 330 Sea Level Rise Estimates in Northeast Florida .................................................................. 331 CURRENT POLICIES AND TRENDS IN COASTAL MANAGEMENT......................... 335 Federal Policies...................................................................................................................... 335 State Policies .......................................................................................................................... 340 Local Government Policy ..................................................................................................... 342 MAP DEVELOPMENT METHODOLOGY......................................................................... 345 Topographic Study Area ...................................................................................................... 345 Protection Scenarios ............................................................................................................. 346 Local Stakeholder Review.................................................................................................... 348 COUNTY BY COUNTY MAPPING ANALYSIS................................................................. 352 NASSAU COUNTY................................................................................................................... 355 DUVAL COUNTY.................................................................................................................... 359 Mapping Procedures ........................................................................................................... 360 St. Johns River Inlet Area to Sisters Creek........................................................................ 361 St. Johns River (from the Trout River south to the county border) ...................................... 363 ST. JOHNS COUNTY.............................................................................................................. 365 FLAGLER COUNTY............................................................................................................... 369 CLAY COUNTY....................................................................................................................... 373 PUTNAM COUNTY.................................................................................................................. 377 CONCLUSION ......................................................................................................................... 381 324 INTRODUCTION Regional Background The northeastern region of Florida is one of varied natural, geographical, and topographical environments. The region is a part of the Atlantic Coastal Plain and contains an assorted mix of land cover types that span from coastal marshes to upland hammocks and scrub areas. Within these 5,096 square miles of land and water is a diverse network of natural resources, including commercial and natural forest areas, rivers and associated wetlands, springs, and other undeveloped lands, all of which provide economic, environmental, recreational, and aesthetic benefits to the residents and visitors of the region. Eighty-seven percent of the region is land area, and the remaining 13 percent is fresh water.1 All of these diverse environments, even inland, are tied to the region’s large natural bodies of water in some manner. On the eastern edge of the zone lie the coastal areas of Flagler, St. Johns, Duval, and Nassau counties, along the Atlantic Ocean. Within these four counties, the coastal areas are highly diverse and cannot be depicted just as open-ocean shoreline. A strip of coastal ridges separating the Atlantic Ocean from a narrow lagoon system and the mainland characterizes Northeast Florida’s major coastal area, the Upper East Coast Basin. The Intracoastal Waterway connects the lagoon system in the basin. The Tolomato River is one of the major lagoons in this system and runs from Jacksonville in Duval County to St. Augustine in St. Johns County. Another major lagoon is the Matanzas River, running from St. Augustine to the Matanzas Inlet. Running parallel and east of the Tolomato River is the Guana River, which is a separate lagoon from the Intracoastal Waterway.2 The other major coastal areas in the region are the St. Mary’s River Basin and the Nassau River Basin, both of which are characterized by extensive marsh and wetland areas. The inland portion of Northeast Florida is dominated by the Lower St. Johns River Basin, which contains Duval, St. Johns, and two interior counties, Clay and Putnam.3 The Atlantic Ocean’s tidal effects influence the St. Johns River for 100 statute miles upriver, near the southern border of Putnam County.4 In no small part due to Northeast Florida’s attractive aquatic amenities, the region has seen a steady increase in population growth over the last 30 years. The 2000 Census showed that population in the region had grown by 22 percent over the 1990 population compared to state and national averages of 23.5 and 13.1 percent, respectively.5 Historically, the Northeast Florida region has not seen the development that other areas of the state have experienced. This has resulted in the present existence of large tracts of undeveloped and undisturbed native habitats within the region that are home to a wide variety of native flora and fauna. Because the region is still relatively undeveloped and has much available land left, however, projections indicate that 1Northeast Florida Regional Planning Council. (1997). Strategic Directions: A Strategic Regional Policy Plan for Northeast Florida (p.79). Jacksonville, FL 2Ibid. at 83–84. 3Ibid. at 81–82. 4NOAA. (1999). Currents in the St. Johns River, Florida: Spring and Summer of 1998 (p. 3). Silver Spring, MD 5US Census (2000). 325 the region will begin to grow faster than the rest of the state, on a percentage basis, through 2010.6 Most of this expected population growth will occur in the coastal areas of Northeast Florida. Flagler County, at the southern boundary of the region, is the fifth fastest growing county in the country and ranks first in Florida in population growth. Flagler County grew by 73.6 percent during the 1990–2000 Census period. Another coastal county in Northeast Florida, St. Johns County, is the fifth-fastest growing county in the state. St. Johns County’s growth rate from 1990 to 2000 was 46.9 percent. Inland areas are not immune from high growth, though. Clay County, which rests on the St. Johns River, has the eighth largest population growth of any county in the state.7 Purpose of this Study Because of the high population growth rates of coastal and riverine areas, it is imperative that land use planners begin to prepare for the eventual rise of sea levels in these areas. The coastline is highly developed with residential, commercial, and recreational properties. Areas bordering Florida’s rivers face similar kinds of development. As Florida’s population grows, these properties will only grow more numerous. Almost 25,000 kilometers of Florida’s coast is below 3.5 meters in elevation.8 If sea levels continue to rise, much of this area can be expected to be flooded. Planners must begin to decide which land areas in their counties and municipalities will be protected, if any, against sea level rise and what the cost of holding back the sea will be. Although the sea is not expected to rise in any significant amount in the near future, it is wise to start anticipatory planning on shore protection strategies now. The Northeast Florida Regional Council (NEFRC) has been contracted by the Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council (SWFRPC), through a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to participate in a nationwide project promoting planning for and awareness of sea level rise. The other regional planning council’s along the Atlantic Coast (East Central Florida, Treasure Coast, and South Florida) are also participating in this
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