Pinellas County awarded $700,000 grant to continue vulnerability assessment efforts

Pinellas County was awarded $700,000 in grant funding Tuesday from the State of Florida’s Resilient Florida Grant Program to complete the second phase of the County’s Sea Level Rise and Storm Surge Vulnerability Assessment.

In phase one of the assessment, Pinellas County created more than 100 flood maps for various sea-level rise scenarios out to the year 2100, along with storm surge and tidal flooding projections to help categorize levels of vulnerability for various types of infrastructure.

Results of the final assessment from phase two will provide new data to the County to develop natural and engineered adaption strategies, including the design and planning of infrastructure, such as roads, bridges, stormwater management systems and wastewater treatment facilities.

“Our goal is to create a more resilient Pinellas County for the future of our community,” said Hank Hodde, Pinellas County’s Sustainability and Resiliency Coordinator. “Using the best available data and science will help us lead the way in addressing current-day hazards and future climate impacts. We appreciate the state for their support in our current and upcoming efforts.”

The assessment results will be announced when completed. Updates on Pinellas County sustainability and resiliency efforts can be found at sustainability.pinellas.gov.

Pinellas County received one of 98 awards announced Tuesday from the Resilient Florida Grant Program. This award adds to the $28.6 million previously received from the grant program in February. The full list of projects awarded can be found here.