IV 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 112 

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that sea level rise 

and flooding are of urgent concern impacting Florida that require 

proactive measures for community planning and the States tourismbased economy to adapt. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 7, 2019 

Mr. ROONEY of Florida (for himself and Mr. GAETZ) submitted the following 

resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and 

Infrastructure 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that 

sea level rise and flooding are of urgent concern impacting Florida that require proactive measures for community planning and the States tourism-based economy to 

adapt. 

Whereas sea level rise is worsening flooding during king tides 

and increasing storm surge from hurricanes and is already a costly problem that needs to be addressed; 

Whereas rising sea levels amplify the threat and magnitude 

of storm surge in coastal areas, meaning the impact and 

power of hurricanes will only increase, endangering even 

more coastal property and infrastructure; 


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•HRES 112 IH 

Whereas our national defense is of the utmost priority and 

the significant impact of flooding at, on, and leading into 

coastal bases diminishes our ability to train, maintain, 

and deploy; 

Whereas more than half of Florida’s 21 military bases are 

along the coast, and specifically Naval Air Station (NAS) 

Key West, Naval Station Mayport, and Kennedy Space 

Center are of concern; 

Whereas Federal reports show that Mayport has experienced 

sea level rise at 1⁄3 inch per year, a pace that’s accelerated since the 1990s; 

Whereas NAS Key West has the majority of 5,800 acres at 

or under 3 feet above sea level, and 80 percent of its land 

is exposed to flooding by Category 1 hurricanes; 

Whereas the Kennedy Space Center has an ongoing shoreline 

restoration project and critical needs around historic 

launch complex 39A and B, and billions of dollars of infrastructure and technology sit just a few feet from the 

current shoreline; 

Whereas projected sea level rise will only exacerbate the 

flooding problems around bases, especially those along 

the coast, further jeopardizing our national defense and 

weakening our combat readiness; 

Whereas sea level rise and flooding cause damage to coastal 

homes, disrupt transportation networks with longer commutes, adversely impact small businesses and other commercial interests, impose additional costs on our cities 

through infrastructure and drainage system upgrades, 

and erode our beaches; 


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Whereas the Federal Emergency Management Agency 

(FEMA) estimates that roughly 40 to 60 percent of small 

businesses never reopen their doors following a disaster; 

Whereas sea level rise along the coast of Florida has risen 

6 inches in the last 30 years, and its speed has increased 

threefold in recent years, with scientific projections forecasting another 8 inches of sea level rise in the next 20 

years; 

Whereas sea level rise of just 3 inches since 2000 has increased flooding, statewide, in Florida by 300 percent; 

Whereas sea level rise, hurricane storm surge, and flooding 

currently threaten millions of homes in Florida alone; 

Whereas sea level rise poses a unique threat to Florida given 

the limestone bedrock beneath much of the State which 

allows rising seawater to infiltrate sewage systems and 

threaten ground water supplies through saltwater intrusion; 

Whereas the Everglades, a unique ecosystem and the jewel of 

Florida, is at significant risk of saltwater intrusion due 

to sea level rise, which would kill the mangroves and 

threaten coastal Florida’s most important source of 

freshwater and protection from storm surge; 

Whereas cities in Florida alone are already spending over $4 

billion to harden infrastructure, improve drainage, nourish beaches, and combat tidal flooding from 6 inches of 

sea level rise over the last 30 years; 

Whereas Hurricane Irma caused $50 billion in damage; 

Whereas proactively investing to prevent flooding is a wiser 

use of resources than spending on flooding recovery, as 

exemplified by FEMA research showing that $1 spent on 


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disaster prevention can save up to $7 in recovery costs; 

and 

Whereas national coordination, support, and funding are necessary for flood-prone communities to address the challenges of sea level rise and flooding: Now, therefore, be 

it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) acknowledges the significance of sea level 

3 rise and flooding throughout communities across the 

4 country and in Florida; and 

5 (2) affirms the need for greater adaptation 

6 funding and the incorporation of historical flooding 

7 and sea level rise projections into planning. 

Æ 


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