Nueces County targets Living Breakwaters for FEMA BRIC funding, plans Hilltop project for next cycle

County staff and outside consultants told the Commissioners Court that the FEMA BRIC (Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities) competition provides a competitive opportunity to fund large resilience projects countywide.

Staff recommended prioritizing a living-shoreline / Living Breakwaters project for the current FY21 BRIC cycle because the project already has engineering studies, strong benefit-cost analysis support and significant local match commitments. "This competition is nationwide," staff said, noting BRIC allows applications of up to $50 million but requires a 25% local match. County planning and coastal partners including the Port, Conrad Blucher Institute and Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program were cited as potential match and technical partners.

The court approved pursuing the Living Breakwaters application for the current BRIC round and asked staff and Hagerty to prepare a draft application for brief court review by Nov. 17. The court also endorsed work to develop the Hilltop Community Center concept for the next BRIC cycle (FY22), describing Hilltop as a resilience-focused, net-zero design that needs additional design and benefit-cost analysis work before submission.

Staff noted BRIC's expedited early-screening step and the Dec. 3 internal deadline to submit a project concept for technical review, with the full FEMA application due in late January; the county will use Hagerty and its grant team to meet those deadlines.