In 2020, the City of Venice initiated a resilience planning project to understand the vulnerabilities to coastal flooding and proactively develop strategies for a more resilient community. The City received grant funding from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s (FDEP) Resilient Coastlines Program to evaluate potential flood risks to infrastructure and identify adaptation strategies for future planning and implementation. This study is the first of a multi-phased effort to increase the City’s resilience to flooding and storm events. The objective of this study is to develop actionable steps to plan and implement projects to reduce vulnerability and mitigate flood risks.  
The City contracted Taylor Engineering, Inc. (consultant) to perform the analysis and resilience planning effort using four primary steps consistent with the Florida Adaptation Planning Guidebook (2018):  

1. Background Review and Data Identification (Context) – The project team reviewed City and County datasets to assess the quantity and quality of information available about public infrastructure to support the vulnerability assessment. The review focused on coastal flooding impacts to critical facilities and historic properties. The team also reviewed regional planning documents to understand sea level trends and scenarios used by neighboring communities, municipalities, and partners for future planning. The consultant and City staff collaborated to identify which City-owned infrastructure and historic resources were critical for the vulnerability assessment.
   2. Vulnerability Assessment – This analysis compared relevant site/structure elevations of the critical assets identified by the City to the anticipated water levels for nine flood inundation scenarios. These scenarios are a combination of present-day water levels, two future sea level rise projections, and two tropical storm-generated water levels. Maps and tables provided in this report illustrate the locations and details of the City’s vulnerable assets.
   3. Adaptation and Resilience Strategies – Following completion of the vulnerability assessment, the project team identified four geographic focus areas that consisted of high densities of vulnerable public assets. A matrix of adaptation and resilience strategies summarizes implementation options for each of the vulnerable assets identified within the focus areas.
   4. Public Outreach and Website – Community engagement was more challenging due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however the use of a variety of online platforms allowed the project team to interact with stakeholders in a variety of different ways. Public outreach to stakeholders consisted of three public presentations to the City’s Environmental Advisory Board, a social media campaign, an online survey, and an interactive website.
   5. Resilience Planning Summary Report – the report herein summarizes the vulnerability assessment results, recommended adaptation and resilience strategies, and proposed City Comprehensive Plan addenda to address resilience.

The full report can be found here: Resilience Plan 2021. 

Venice Resiliency Plan City Council Presentation

Venice Resiliency Plan Tables