Lighthouse Point accepts Resilient Florida vulnerability assessment; next steps target two flood-prone focus areas

Lighthouse Point’s City Commission on July 14 accepted a Resilient Florida-funded vulnerability assessment prepared by engineering firm Keith and heard how the study will guide future adaptation planning and grant applications.

Arta Gutray, an engineering designer with Keith, said the study identifies the city’s most vulnerable assets by combining exposure, sensitivity and consequence scores and highlights two priority focus areas — a northern and a southern zone — where critical infrastructure and neighborhoods face recurring flooding under multiple scenarios. "We identify which areas or systems are exposed to these climate hazards and evaluate their ability to adapt or recover," Gutray said.

Gutray told the commission the assessment used NOAA topographic data (2018 lidar), sea-level-rise projections and rainfall scenarios for planning horizons in 2050 and 2080, and that most near-term projected flood depths are relatively shallow (0–0.5 feet) but include pockets reaching 0.5–1 foot and isolated areas exceeding 1 foot. For extreme storm-surge scenarios (a Category 5 hurricane combined with high sea-level-rise), some low-lying waterfront areas could see depths exceeding 5–6 feet, the presentation said.

Tom Green, Keith’s director of municipal services, said the study satisfies the state grant requirements under the Resilient Florida program and is intended as a high-level planning tool to help the city prioritize adaptation options and compete for implementation grants. "This is a very high-level planning study," Green said, adding that calibration to local monitoring data is possible but that the firm relied on available modeling and data for parts of the city.

Commissioners questioned whether the city’s stormwater models had been fully incorporated; Gutray said the team used the city’s 2023 stormwater master-plan model where available but that a comprehensive, citywide H&H calibration was outside the current scope. The consultants recommended that the city use the assessment results to develop a subsequent adaptation plan and pursue Resilient Florida implementation funding.

A member of the public, Cynthia Dominique of Margate, told commissioners the study presents an opportunity to engage schools and students on climate and sea-level-rise programming.

Next steps described by the consultants include preparing an adaptation plan, prioritizing strategies and projects, and incorporating public and commissioner feedback into a draft plan that will be presented for further comment.

The study cites state statute and Resilient Florida program requirements and positions Lighthouse Point to apply for implementation grants once the adaptation plan is completed and accepted by the commission.