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 tourism- 
based 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 impact-
ing Florida that require proactive measures for commu-
nity 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 al-
ready 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 acceler-
ated 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 in-
frastructure 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 com-
mutes, adversely impact small businesses and other com-
mercial interests, impose additional costs on our cities 
through infrastructure and drainage system upgrades, 
and erode our beaches; 
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•HRES 112 IH 
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 fore-
casting another 8 inches of sea level rise in the next 20 
years; 
Whereas sea level rise of just 3 inches since 2000 has in-
creased 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 intru-
sion; 
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, nour-
ish 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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