Lee County Climate Change Resiliency Strategy (CCRS) Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council October 6, 2010 James W. Beever III, Whitney Gray, Jason Utley, David Hutchinson, Tim Walker, Dan Cobb 1926 Victoria Avenue Fort Myers FL 33901 (239) 338-2550 www.SWFRPC.org Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council SOUTHWEST FLORIDA REGIONAL PLANNING COUNCIL MEMBERSHIP CHAIRMAN.......... Councilman Mick Denham VICE CHAIRMAN.......... Councilman Charles “Chuck” Kiester SECRETARY.......... Commissioner Karson Turner TREASURER.......... Councilwoman Teresa Heitmann CHARLOTTE COUNTY COLLIER COUNTY Commissioner Tricia Duffy Commissioner Jim Coletta Commissioner Robert Skidmore Commissioner Frank Halas Councilman Don McCormick Councilwoman Teresa Heitmann Mr. Alan LeBeau Councilman Charles Kiester Ms. Andrea Messina Mr. Bob Mulhere (Governor Appointee Vacancy) GLADES COUNTY HENDRY COUNTY Commissioner Kenneth S. Jones Commissioner Karson Turner Commissioner Paul Beck Commissioner Tristan Chapman Councilman Michael Brantley Mayor Mali Chamness Dr. Edward Elkowitz Mayor Paul Puletti Mr. Mel Karau LEE COUNTY SARASOTA COUNTY Commissioner Ray Judah Commissioner Carolyn Mason Commissioner Tammy Hall Commissioner Jon Thaxton Mayor John Sullivan Commissioner Tom Jones Councilman Mick Denham Councilman Ernie Zavodnyik Councilman Forrest Banks Mr. George Mazzarantani Councilman Tom Babcock Mr. David Farley Councilman John Spear Ms. Laura Holquist Mr. Paul Pass EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS Phil Flood, SFWMD Mr. Jon Iglehart, FDEP Ms. Dianne Davies, SWFWMD Mr. Johnny Limbaugh, FDOT Ms. Tammie Nemecek, EDC of Collier County October 6, 2010 Page 2 SOUTHWEST FLORIDA REGIONAL PLANNING COUNCIL STAFF KEN HEATHERINGTON..........EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR DAVID HUTCHINSON...PLANNING DIRECTOR LIZ DONLEY........LEGAL COUNSEL STAFF James Beever Nichole Gwinnett Don Scott Lisa Beever Rebekah Harp Angela Tomlinson Daniel Cobb Maran Hilgendorf Daniel L. Trescott David Crawford Deborah A. Kooi Gaila Triggs Nancy Doyle Meghan Marion Jason Utley John L. Gibbons Judy Ott Timothy Walker Ron Gogoi Jennifer Pellechio Janice Yell Whitney Gray Brian Raimondo October 6, 2010 Page 3 Disclaimer: The material and descriptions compiled for this document (and appendices) are not Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council guidance, policy, nor a rulemaking effort, but are provided for informational and discussion purposes only. This document is not intended, nor can it be relied upon, to create any rights enforceable by any party in litigation with the United States. Reference herein to any specific commercial products, non-profit organization, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council and shall not be used for advertising or product endorsement purposes. The documents on this website may contain reference to computer web links, for example ((Embedded image moved to file: pic01212.gif)), to information created and maintained by other public and private organizations. Please be aware that the authors do not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of this outside information. Further, the inclusion of links to a particular item(s) is not intended to reflect their importance, nor is it intended to endorse any view expressed or products or services offered by the author of the reference or the organization operating the service on which the reference is maintained. If you have any questions or comments on the content, navigation, maintenance, etc., of these pages, please contact: James W. Beever III Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council 1926 Victoria Avenue Fort Myers, FL 33901 239- 338-2550, ext 224 [email protected] October 6, 2010 Page 4 Acknowledgements This project has benefited from the contributions of numerous agencies and individuals that have contributed information, time, and opinion to the contents and recommendations, especially the Lee County Board of County Commissioners, the Lee County Office of the County Manager, the Lee County Department Directors, and the offices of the Constitutional Officers of Lee County. Funding for this report was provided by Lee County through the Office of Sustainability. The Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council has provided the venue and support for the entire project and regular input in the structure and function of the study. The first draft was provided for technical review to the Lee County Board of County Commissioners, the Lee County Office of the County Manager, the Lee County Department Directors, and the Lee County Community Sustainability Advisory Committee. Thanks to Tessa LeSage, Office of Sustainability Director and Wayne Daltry as Smart Growth Director for support of this project. October 6, 2010 Page 5 Table of Contents Disclaimer: .................................................................................................................................. 4 Acknowledgements ..................................................................................................................... 5 Table of Contents .......................................................................................................6 Table of Figures .........................................................................................................8 Tables .........................................................................................................................9 Executive Summary .................................................................................................10 Introduction ..............................................................................................................12 Elements of Resiliency Plan ..................................................................................................... 13 The Current Climate of Southwest Florida and Lee County .................................................... 15 Lee County Vulnerability Assessment ....................................................................24 Risk Analysis ............................................................................................................................ 28 Summary of Priority Considerations ........................................................................................ 28 Lee County Resiliency Strategy ...............................................................................30 Communication with Stakeholders and Decision Makers .......................................30 Lee County interviewee-identified vulnerabilities by category ................................................ 41 Description of Specific Implementation Actions ...................................................................... 43 Specific Adaptations by Group ................................................................................45 Buildings and County Infrastructure (Facilities and Operations) ............................................. 45 What Lee County Government Can Do to Increase Climate Change Resilience for Buildings and County Infrastructure (Facilities and Operations).............................................................. 46 Resources for Buildings and County Infrastructure (Facilities and Operations) Resilience 49 Coastal Protections.................................................................................................................... 50 Protection .............................................................................................................................. 52 Managed retreat.................................................................................................................... 55 Accommodation..................................................................................................................... 60 Federal Policies and Programs .............................................................................................. 62 Florida State Policies and Programs ..................................................................................... 64 Local Policies and Programs ................................................................................................. 69 What Lee County Government Can Do to Increase Climate Change Resilience against Coastal Erosion and Sea Level Rise ...................................................................................................... 71 A hypothetical comparison of relative costs of various sea-level rise adaptations ............... 74 What Lee County Government Can Do to Increase Climate Change Resilience for Coastal Economies ................................................................................................................................. 75 Tourism ................................................................................................................................. 76 October 6, 2010 Page 6 What Lee County Government Can Do to Increase Climate Change Resilience for Land Development and Building ....................................................................................................... 77 Ocean Economy and Coastal Economy ................................................................................ 79 Commercial and sport fisheries and shellfish harvesting ....................................................