Sea rise threatens Florida coast, but no statewide plan

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Thank you Rick Scott

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — America's oldest city is slowly drowning.

St. Augustine's centuries-old Spanish fortress and other national landmarks sit feet from the encroaching Atlantic, whose waters already flood the city's narrow, brick-paved streets about 10 times a year — a problem worsening as sea levels rise. The city has long relied on tourism, but visitors to the fortress and Ponce de Leon's mythical Fountain of Youth might someday have to wear waders at high tide.

"If you want to benefit from the fact we've been here for 450 years, you have the responsibility to look forward to the next 450," said Bill Hamilton, a 63-year-old horticulturist whose family has lived in the city since the 1950s. "Is St. Augustine even going to be here? We owe it to the people coming after us to leave the city in good shape."

St. Augustine is one of many chronically flooded communities along Florida's 1,200-mile coastline, and officials in these diverse places share a common concern: They're afraid their buildings and economies will be further inundated by rising seas in just a couple of decades. The effects are a daily reality in much of Florida. Drinking water wells are fouled by seawater. Higher tides and storm surges make for more frequent road flooding from Jacksonville to Key West, and they're overburdening aging flood-control systems.

But the state has yet to offer a clear plan or coordination to address what local officials across Florida's coast see as a slow-moving emergency. Republican Gov. Rick Scott is skeptical of man-made climate change and has put aside the task of preparing for sea level rise, an Associated Press review of thousands of emails and documents pertaining to the state's preparations for rising seas found.

Despite warnings from water experts and climate scientists about risks to cities and drinking water, skepticism over sea level projections and climate change science has hampered planning efforts at all levels of government, the records showed. Florida's environmental agencies under Scott have been downsized and retooled, making them less effective at coordinating sea level rise planning in the state, the documents showed.


-more-

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/sea-rise-threatens-florida-coast-but-no-statewide-plan/ar-BBjy2pG

[hatrack]

1. And with Scott and the GOP running Talahassee, what else should we expect?

Denial, inertia, and more flooding; that's just how Florida rolls these days.

[Eleanors38]

2. Pssst. The Muslim president did it.

[DFW]

3. If Scott would sit in his office with water up to his knees

He would still say, WHAT water level rising?

[Journeyman]

4. They have a perfectly fine plan: They're not going to talk about it . . .

It can't hurt you if you don't name it.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10141033371

[HereSince1628]

6. You can bet their plan is to privatize the cost of doing nothing

Really, because that means letting all the little people pay for their own escape.

As we shall see. the rising tide lifts the privateers boats.

[FLPanhandle]

5. Anecdotal, but I've noticed the water slightly higher on my waterfront property

Last summer, high tide put my sand totally underwater with the waterline up to the lawn.

Usually only happened when a storm was coming in, not day after day for weeks.

[Baitball Blogger]

7. And there won't be a plan in place until you get a forward thinking Governor in office.