Sea level rise grants coming to Charlotte County

As part of the Southwest Florida Regional Resiliency Compact, Charlotte County has been selected for two grants to assess the vulnerability of the region to sea level rise.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection is awarding the two grants, $152,819 and $270,064.

Charlotte County commissioners will be asked to accept the grants Tuesday.

Also participating in the compact are Lee County and Collier County as well as 10 cities within these counties and the Seminole Tribe.

Technical work and training will be conducted by Florida Gulf Coast University’s Water School, which has been coordinating the compact, as well as the University of Florida, according to grant documents.

“Southwest Florida is already experiencing the impacts of sea level rise and increased storm-induced inundation," the grant documents state. "Nuisance flooding has become chronic for certain locations, and there have been recent impacts of surge associated with tropical storms and hurricanes.”

The grant documents state the project will include "web-based, vulnerability analysis tools" for jurisdictions of and in Charlotte, Lee and Collier counties for "adaption planning" and to "improve coastal resilience."