Miami-Dade officials are set to consider new county requirements that would raise the minimum building level to 6 feet as sea levels rise and storm surges worsen in flood-prone areas of South Florida.
“It’s a resilience measure,” Marina Blanco-Pape, director of the local Department of Environmental Resources Management, told the Miami Herald. “The idea is you’d build to a high enough elevation that with a 10-year storm event in 2060 you’re free of flooding.”
The proposal would raise the base level of new roads, homes, sea walls and canal banks from 3.45 feet to 6 feet. Some computer models predict that the Miami area will see about two feet of sea-level rise by the year 2060. That could put more than 12,000 homes and some $6 billion in property value at risk, according to one analysis done by Climate Central, the newspaper reported.
The need to elevate structures in vulnerable Miami and other areas has been discussed for years as climate change has become more evident. But the plan carries significant costs.
The Herald reported that adding 2.6 feet of fill dirt to a one-acre lot could cost as much as $52,000.
Florida state officials have set aside some $1.2 billion in federal and state money for resiliency projects for the next few years, for local governments around the state to use to reduce the impact of flooding. It was not reported if any of that money would be available for businesses or homeowners to use to raise building levels.
The height proposal would apply only to new homes and those that undergo significant renovations.
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