Florida House Bill No. 7053 (2022): An Act Relating to Statewide Flooding and Sea Level Rise Resilience

In 2022, the Florida state legislature passed House Bill 7053, codifying the Office of Resilience and position of Chief Resilience Officer, which were first created by Executive Order in 2019. The purpose of the Office is to review all flood resilience and mitigation activities in the state and coordinate flood resilience and mitigation efforts with federal, state, and local governmental entities. The bill also provides for the duties of the Chief Resilience Officer (CRO), who is appointed by the governor and leads the Office of Resilience. 

The CRO is responsible for acting as a subject-matter expert for the state on issues related to flood resilience and mitigation, promoting and coordinating flood resilience and mitigation efforts, providing strategic direction for interagency and cross-disciplinary initiatives related to flooding, working with governmental entities at all levels to align flood mitigation and resilience priorities, and working with the Florida Flood Hub for Applied Research and other groups to provide technical guidance to state agencies and other governmental entities in order to incorporate future flooding projections and standards. The CRO is also directed to work with water management districts and state agencies to develop decisionmaking processes, programs, and reporting mechanisms that improve flood resilience.

In addition to solidifying the role of CRO, the bill mandates new resilience planning measures for the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Department of Transportation (FDOT), as well as expanding and strengthening the Resilient Florida Grant Program and the Florida Flood Hub for Applied Research and Innovation. 

The bill requires the DEP to prepare and submit a comprehensive report detailing the status of flood resilience and mitigation efforts statewide. This report must identify which local governments are compliant with resilience planning mandates, outline completed vulnerability assessments, and document the geographic distribution of funded projects. Additionally, it must inventory basin-level flood studies provided by water management and special districts, creating a clearer picture of regional vulnerabilities and readiness.

The bill also compels the FDOT to develop a resilience action plan for the State Highway System. This plan must assess vulnerabilities to tidal, storm surge, and rainfall-induced flooding, taking into account future sea level rise. The action plan is designed to identify infrastructure at risk, propose retrofit strategies, update agency policies, and develop a database of vulnerable transportation assets. The plan is required to be updated every three years.

The Resilient Florida Grant Program (previously established by SB 1954 in 2021) was expanded by the bill to include more comprehensive and accessible funding options. The legislation allows the DEP to fund not only vulnerability assessments and resilience planning, but also preconstruction activities for smaller and rural communities. It also refines the technical standards for vulnerability assessments, requiring more advanced analysis of compound flooding scenarios, storm projections, and local sea level rise models. These refinements aim to ensure that local governments, regardless of size or resources, can prepare for both current and future climate risks.

The bill also strengthens the role of the Florida Flood Hub for Applied Research and Innovation (also previously established by SB 1954), which must now provide critical flood-related data, including tidal, storm surge, rainfall, and compound flooding datasets, to counties and municipalities. This data is intended to standardize vulnerability assessments across the state, while allowing for customization based on local conditions.

The Statewide Office of Resilience and the position of Chief Resilience Officer are codified within Fla. Stat. § 14.2031 (2022). 

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Publication Date: May 3, 2022

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  • State of Florida

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  • Laws

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