Project Nero FSU

In the PBS documentary South Florida's Rising Seas, Richard Grosso of Nova Southeastern University boldly states, “South Florida is one of the most sea-level-rise-vulnerable places on the Earth.”  Proof of this is evident as Biscayne Bay makes its way up drainage grates and over old seawalls into the streets of Miami Beach.  It has become abundantly clear that residents of Miami as well as the rest of South Florida are being forced to face the fact that sea level rise due to climate change is not some far off concern but is, in fact, happening now.  The flooding has resulted in a number of potentially serious inconveniences such as the active pumping of flood waters off of land, new infrastructure planning to manage the impacts of the excess water, salt water invading freshwater aquifers and congressional changes to flood insurance, just to name a few.

With predictions by the Army Corps of Engineers that further indicate significant sea level rise, Monroe, Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties have come together to heed these warnings.  By working as a proactive team, they hope to achieve long term solutions that not only meet the demands of a changing environment but are financially sound as well.  As one Miami Beach resident put it, being proactive allows for more opportunity and less expense than being reactive after the damage is done.