Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact

Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact
Name	Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact
Formation	2010
Type	Interlocal agreement
Region served	Broward County; Miami-Dade County; Palm Beach County; Monroe County
Headquarters	South Florida

Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact is a four-county cooperative alliance addressing sea level rise, resilience, and climate adaptation in South Florida. Founded by elected officials from Broward County, Florida, Miami-Dade County, Florida, Palm Beach County, Florida and Monroe County, Florida, the Compact coordinates regional planning, technical guidance, and advocacy among local municipalities, state agencies, and national organizations. Its work intersects with agencies and initiatives such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, United States Army Corps of Engineers, Federal Emergency Management Agency, South Florida Water Management District, and nonprofit partners.

Background and formation

The Compact was formed in 2010 following a series of regional discussions involving mayors and commissioners from City of Miami, City of Fort Lauderdale, City of West Palm Beach, and Key West, Florida alongside county executives such as the Mayor of Miami-Dade County and the Broward County Commission. Its establishment drew on earlier efforts like the Southeast Florida Regional Climate Compact Technical Advisory Committee and modeled coordination similar to the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission and the New York City Panel on Climate Change. The Compact arose amid state-level debates involving the Florida Legislature and public policy disputes tied to actions by governors including Charlie Crist and Rick Scott, with technical input from agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency and academic institutions like Florida International University and the University of Miami.

Membership and governance

Membership includes elected chiefs from Broward County, Florida, Miami-Dade County, Florida, Palm Beach County, Florida, and Monroe County, Florida, plus technical representatives from municipal governments across jurisdictions like Coral Gables, Florida, West Palm Beach, Florida, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Pinecrest, Florida. Governance relies on a Steering Committee and Technical Advisory Committee drawing experts from Florida Atlantic University, University of Florida, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, NOAA regional offices, and representatives from the South Florida Regional Planning Council. The Compact coordinates with federal entities including the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Department of Transportation (United States), and the United States Geological Survey. Elected leaders such as county mayors and city commissioners sign interlocal agreements similar to instruments used by the Miami-Dade County Office of Resilience.

Climate initiatives and programs

The Compact produced regional science reports such as the Unified Sea Level Rise Projection initiative, developed in partnership with NOAA Sea Level Rise Viewer data, USGS coastal analyses, and modeling from University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. Programs include guidance on stormwater management referencing South Florida Water Management District protocols, coastal armoring analyses compared with efforts in City of New York and Los Angeles County, California, and resilience toolkits aligned with FEMA hazard mitigation frameworks. The Compact supported pilot projects including living shorelines examined with researchers from Florida Atlantic University Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute and infrastructure assessments akin to Army Corps of Engineers coastal projects. Outreach partners include The Nature Conservancy, Everglades Foundation, and Sierra Club Florida chapters.

Policy and planning frameworks

The Compact advanced a regional policy agenda through documents such as the Regional Climate Action Plan and coordinated mapping consistent with FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map standards and the National Flood Insurance Program. It recommended integration of sea level rise projections into comprehensive plans used by municipalities like Miami Beach, Florida and Fort Lauderdale, and encouraged zoning and building code updates comparable to innovations in San Francisco, California and New Orleans, Louisiana. The Compact’s frameworks intersect with state statutes debated in the Florida Legislature and leveraged guidance from federal policy instruments such as the Presidential Climate Action Plan and HUD resilience planning grants.

Funding and partnerships

Funding sources have included competitive grants from federal agencies such as HUD Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR), technical support from NOAA Coastal Resilience Grants, and cooperative funding with the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council-style projects. Partnerships span academic collaborations with Florida International University Sea Level Solutions Center, philanthropic support from foundations like the Knight Foundation and Rockefeller Foundation resilience initiatives, and coordination with regional bodies such as the South Florida Water Management District and the Southeast Florida Transportation Council. Private-sector alliances involve engineering firms that have worked on regional infrastructure upgrades comparable to projects by AECOM and Jacobs Engineering Group.

Impact, outcomes, and evaluations

The Compact’s outcomes include harmonized sea level rise guidance adopted by dozens of municipalities, incorporation of projection scenarios into capital improvement plans for counties including Palm Beach County, Florida and Broward County, Florida, and heightened intergovernmental coordination cited in academic evaluations by University of Miami and Florida Atlantic University researchers. Independent assessments referenced in policy analyses by Brookings Institution-affiliated researchers and reports from Pew Charitable Trusts highlight advances in regional planning while noting challenges tied to state-level politics involving figures like Rick Scott and funding limitations from federal appropriations. Case studies compare Compact results with resilience metrics from New York City and Rotterdam adaptation plans. The Compact remains a cited example in literature on subnational climate governance and coastal adaptation in settings such as the International Panel on Climate Change assessments and regional resilience conferences.

Category:Climate change organizations in the United States