DELRAY BEACH, Florida—Erin L. Deady, Esq., a licensed attorney in Florida and a certified land planner by the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP), recently participated in a Climate Resiliency session of the Florida Association for Water Quality Control (FAWQC) annual conference in Naples, Florida.
The session discussed the latest in climate resiliency policies and tools for Florida and addressed resiliency and policy. The panelists spoke about what is currently being undertaken by the State of Florida, various local governments across the state, and, in particular, the South Florida Water Management District. Case studies were presented as well as strategies and implementation efforts to make our communities and state more resilient to the impacts of climate change.
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) officials are evaluating and ranking for the Legislature nearly $2 billion in requests competing for $500 million in new state resiliency grants.
DEP officials said they are complying with a new state law signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in May creating the Resilient Florida Grant Program.
The new law, approved in FL SB1954 (21R), directs DEP to send to the Legislature by December 1 a ranked list of projects along with a preliminary statewide flooding and sea-level rise plan. DEP is required to submit new three-year plans annually on December 1 starting in 2022.
Land use lawyer Erin Deady, who assisted in submitting nine grant applications, said the nearly $2 billion in infrastructure grants should send a message to the Legislature that local governments “are not going to have the capacity to go it alone.”
“They are going to have to have a partnership with the state,” said Ms. Deady. “And the state is going to have to prioritize.”
About Erin L. Deady, P.A.
Erin L. Deady, P.A. is a full-service law firm focusing on environmental, energy, sustainability, land use, and water issues. The firm remains at the forefront of climate and resiliency issues as one of the first Florida law firms with a significant practice in this area. The firm represents both public sector and private sector clients including those related to infrastructure, development, and real estate. For further information visit https://erindeadylaw.com/.
