2024 Broward Leaders Resilience Roundtable​

On September 26, 2024, Broward County Mayor Nan H. Rich and Vice-Mayor Beam Furr, co-chairs of the County’s Climate Change Task Force, convened the 2024 Broward Leaders Resilience Roundtable at Long Key Nature Center in Davie. 

This annual event brought together 81 participants, including representatives from 22 municipalities, despite inclement weather from Hurricane Helene. The attendees included 20 municipal elected officials and 9 municipal managers or assistant municipal managers.

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Left: Dr. Jennifer Jurado, Chief Resilience Officer, Broward County; Center: Major Cory J. Bell, US Army Corps of Engineers; Right: Broward County Mayor Nan Rich.

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Key Themes and Updates

Dr. Jennifer Jurado, Broward County’s Chief Resilience Officer, opened the Roundtable by revisiting key themes from the previous year’s event. She stressed the importance of continuous community engagement and collaboration to build on previous outcomes and tackle emerging challenges. Major priorities identified included addressing extreme heat, prioritizing vulnerable communities, advancing the Central & Southern Florida (C&SF) Study, and enhancing water management and communication strategies. 

Dr. Jurado specifically pointed to the need for infrastructure improvements to mitigate the impacts of severe weather, which have become increasingly frequent in Broward County.

Resilience Standards

Dr. Jurado reported significant advancements in resilience standards, particularly in flood risk management. A key update involved the revision of the groundwater table map to account for a projected 3.3 feet of sea level rise by 2070. 

This modeling is essential for planning drainage and water management infrastructure, allowing for a proactive approach to community resilience. Additionally, the county is staying ahead of FEMA’s flood map updates, which have expanded flood risk zones to include 90,000 new parcels.


Coordination

A primary focus of this year’s Roundtable was the need for better coordination in water management. Dr. Jurado referenced the challenges faced during the April 2023 flood event, highlighting the difficulties of real-time decision-making due to limited communications and data. In response, Broward County has reconvened the Surface Water Coordination Committee, which had been inactive since the COVID-19 pandemic. This committee is meeting quarterly and includes stakeholders from public works and water management sectors to enhance response capabilities during extreme weather events.

Community Resilience Projects

A significant initiative discussed was the development of a county-wide Resilience Dashboard. This tool tracks and visualizes resilience projects across Broward County and is maintained by county staff to support data sharing. Important in providing a visual representation of the scope and scale of investments being advanced across the Broward community.

Climate Action Plan Update

An update to the County’s 5-year Climate Action plan is set to be finalized by the end of this year. This update includes 110 recommendations addressing various climate and resilience priorities. Key themes include the transition to zero waste, integration of transportation and resilience, and focusing on energy equity and proactive risk reduction.

Electric Vehicle Infrastructure
Participants at the Roundtable expressed the need to expand EV charging infrastructure across the county. Dr. Jurado announced that funding has been allocated to develop a comprehensive strategy for EV charging stations, prioritizing accessible public infrastructure and multifamily residential areas. The plan aims to facilitate an equitable transition to electric vehicles.

County-wide Net Zero Plan
Another focus area was the County-wide Net Zero Plan, which proposes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. The plan allows municipalities to align their emissions reduction strategies with county goals, promoting a collaborative approach to CO2 emission reductions. ​

Carbon Conscious Business Program

Dr. Jurado introduced the Carbon Conscious Business Program, which aims to help local businesses reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. The program provides resources for measuring and tracking emissions and recognizes businesses that engage in climate action.

Building Benchmarking Program
A Building Benchmarking Program was discussed as a proposed initiative to reduce emissions from larger buildings. The program would required mandatory energy use reporting for buildings over 20,000 square feet, which could include up to 18,000 public, commercial, mixed use and condominium properties, with the goal to achieve energy savings across the commercial sector.


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Community Engagement Initiatives

Community engagement was identified as an area of additional progress, with highlights inclusive of the County’s partnership with climate artist Xavier Cortada to bring the award-winning  “Underwater” climate art and community impact initiative to Broward County. Efforts included student engagement and workshops, murals and public art installations, and community conversations. This project, supported by the Community Foundation of Broward County, is now being augmented with additional installations and projects at the municipal level.

Solid Waste Work Group

Vice Mayor Furr provided an update on the Solid Waste Work Group, focusing on reducing waste to reduce the amount of methane emissions. The workgroup plans  to improve recycling programs, educate the public, and develop a comprehensive Solid Waste and Recycling Master Plan to address increasing landfill emissions.

Resilient Water Management

The Roundtable included presentations by Mr. Drew Bartlett, Executive Director of the South Florida Water Management District and Major Cory Bell of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District. Mr. Bartlett highlighted....He discussed in detail the District’s recent commitment to lead the C&SF Flood Resiliency Study in order to achieve an expedited timeline for study completion and project advancement, expected to include the installation of pumps and structural upgrades for primary water control structures in Broward County.

Major Cory Bell from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) provided an outline of resilience initiatives like the Coastal Storm Risk Management program and reiterated the importance of the Central and Southern Florida Flood Resiliency Study, Major Bell also shared various programs available to local governments for additional USACE support, such as canal dredging to  improve water storage and conveyance. Together, SFWMD and USACE are advancing comprehensive, multifaceted strategies to enhance long-term flood resilience in the region.

Municipal Highlights

Seventeen municipalities shared their successes, priorities, and projects that they have accomplished or are currently working on. Many of which included vulnerability assessments, increasing EV charging and electrification of their fleets in addition to waste reduction and mitigating flood risk through sea walls and/or water management and storage. 

In conclusion, the Annual Broward Leaders Resilience Roundtable continues to provides a valuable forum for collaboration and advancing of shared resilience priorities setting a strong foundation for ongoing resilience efforts in the face of climate change. Broward County is thankful for the ongoing collaboration and support from their municipalities and regional partners.






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​​2023 Round Table​


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Clockwise from left: President/CEO at Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce; Nan Rich, County Commissioner District 1 at Broward County; Col. James L. Booth, Dstrict Commander, Jacksonville District, U.S. Army Corp of Engineers; 19 BROWARD RESILIENCE / SPRIING 2024 Clockwise from left: Dr. Jennifer Jurado, Chief Resilience Offiver, Broward County; Drew Bartlett, Executive Director, South Florida Water Management District; Broward County Vice Mayor Beam Furr; Chief Executive Officer of Broward County, Monica Cepero.

​​2023 Round Table

Elected officials, senior administrators, and staff members representing Broward County's 33 municipalities and tribes attended the 6th convening of what has become a near annual event. 
The 2023 Resilience Roundtable highlighted several key themes, with an emphasis on collaboration, planning at tiered geographic scales, and implementation. Of prominence was discussion of the County-wide Risk Assessment and Resilience Plan (Resilience Plan), an initiative prioritized by attendees in 2019 and nearing completion. Discussion emphasized the need for active municipal engagement, sharing of information and data, and technological advancements to facilitate coordinated decisionmaking. 
The importance of effective communication for this project was underscored, particularly in conveying the significant need for timely investment supporting near and mid-term flood risk reduction. It was expressed that with the competion of the Broward County Resilience Plan in 2024 discussion will focus on results, outcomes and next steps.  Discussion also emphasized the importance of fostering local relationships and partnerships to leverage each other's strengths and aid coordination of operations, notably in water management. 
Municipal and tribal updates revealed significant progress over the last year, including planning, policy, and implementation activities. These included active vulnerability assessments, stormwater and climate planning, water and drainage infrastructure investments, vehicle electrification projects, solar installations, and more. 
Many tribal and municipal governments referenced use of the online Broward Resilience Dashboard, a resource developed in response to priorities raised by attendees in 2019. Roundtable participants acknowledged the need to deliver for lower income and disadvantaged communities
(LIDAC) and to provide targeted investment benefiting socially vulnerable communities, or those expected to have disproportionate impacts related to flood and heat risk. 
The benefits of green infrastructure were underscored in delivering multiple co-benefits. Although not extensively discussed, the concept of resilience hubs was mentioned, and the need for systems to provide support for individuals during severe climate-related events, particularly unanticipated shocks.

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Clockwise from left: President/CEO at Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce; Nan Rich, County Commissioner District 1 at Broward County; Col. James L. Booth, Dstrict Commander, Jacksonville District, U.S. Army Corp of Engineers​