Central and Southern Florida Flood Resiliency Study
Planning and Implementation Progress
The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) is partnering with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) - Jacksonville District, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the Florida Department of Emergency Management and the Federal Emergency Management administration (FEMA), along with local, and other state and federal agencies, to advance the Central and Southern Florida (C&SF) Flood Resiliency Study, alongside other planning efforts and implementation of priority projects.
Updated Approach – C&SF Flood Resiliency Study (Lower East Coast Region)
With the support from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), Broward County, Miami-Dade County, and other local partners, SFWMD and USACE have been working to finalize the study scope to achieve benefits for the southeast Florida communities. An overall integrated strategy has been developed, and it will allow the project teams to pursue parallel efforts for each of the four original C&SF Flood Resiliency Study planning reaches. This integrated strategy allows the partners to advance these urgent feasibility assessments at a faster pace, and maintain consistency in scenario formulation, study assumptions, and regional planning standards.
C&SF Project Reaches and Associated Coastal Structures
SFWMD is advancing a feasibility assessment and initial engineering designs on C&SF coastal water control structures in portions of Broward County, Florida, respective to the Reach A of the C&SF Flood Resiliency Study. SFWMD will be utilizing Section 203 of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 1986, as amended, to advance the flood risk management study with support from FDEP and Broward County, and technical assistance from USACE, aiming for inclusion in the Water Resource Development Act (WRDA) 2026. Visit the Section 203 C&SF Flood Resiliency Study page for more information.
SFWMD is working with FDEP, the Florida Department of Emergency Management (FDEM), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and Miami-Dade County to advance the implementation of awarded grants under the FDEM/FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program and Resilient Florida Program. As the design for these projects are being advanced and construction is estimated to start early in FY26, USACE will provide review as part of either formal 408 permitting process or technical assistance. Visit the C&SF FDEM/FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program Projects page for more information.
SFWMD and USACE continue to partner on the ongoing C&SF Flood Resiliency Study (Section 216) study, which will focus on advancing the feasibility and engineering studies for four coastal structures within Reach C, in Miami-Dade County, aiming for inclusion in WRDA30. Visit the Section 216 C&SF Flood Resiliency Study page for more information.
This planning reach will transition to a future effort, potentially the Comprehensive Central and Southern Florida Study authorized in WRDA 2022.
This integrated strategy ensures relevant studies and implementation work are advanced to build flood resiliency in the southeastern Florida region, especially in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties. This multi-jurisdictional partnership, involving Local – Regional – State and Federal Agencies, is notable for its collaborative development and reinforces the relevance of these investments for the benefit of South Florida communities. For information on the status of implementation of other C&SF Resiliency Projects, visit the C&SF FDEM/FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program Projects page.
For more information on how these activities are integrated with the SFWMD Sea Level Rise and Flood Resiliency Plan and the Flood Protection Level of Service Program, read our FAQs.