Florida

Abstract

The entire coast of Florida is vulnerable to rising sea levels, storm surges, and episodic inundation. The threatened assets on the highly developed and urbanized southeast coast include expensive high-rise hotels and condos while those on the “Nature Coast” fronting the Gulf of Mexico are primarily unique natural ecosystems. Both coasts are already experiencing recurrent inundation for different reasons. Model projections, suggest that by 2050 Miami sea levels could be up to 1 meter higher than at present. Land losses on the highly sensitive Gulf Coast could involve eastward displacement of the coast by several kilometers.