FORT MYERS – The Lee Board of County Commissioners voted Tuesday to award a contract to Woods Hole Group, Inc., for completion of a countywide Waterway Infrastructure Risk and Resiliency Plan. The plan will assess risk to critical public infrastructure from rainfall, sea level rise, storm surge and compound flooding events projected to 2070.

The $635,988 cost of the contract is partially funded through Community Development Block Grant Mitigation Funds, and in a separate action Tuesday, the Board voted to accept a grant of $383,000 from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to fund the balance of the project.

The plan will enable Lee County to prioritize and plan for mitigation of future costs associated with flood and surge control. It also enables Lee County to comply with Florida Statute 380.093, passed in 2021, which requires countywide resilience planning in order to qualify for state grants to fund implementation and construction of coastal resiliency projects.