Implementing a mandate to plan for sea level rise: top-down, bottom-up, and middle-out actions in the Tampa Bay region

Abstract

The 2015 Peril of Flood Act mandates that municipalities in Florida, USA consider sea level rise (SLR) in the coastal element of the comprehensive plan. Because the mandate lacks specificity, planning actors have broad discretion on how to respond. This paper examines how state, regional, and local level actors are implementing the mandate through a case study of the Tampa Bay region. Documents and interviews reveal that state agency staff provided inconsistent compliance guidance. Regional organizations developed credible planning intelligence and promoted collaboration and shared learning. Local planning actors, led by champions, utilized the mandate as political cover and a window of opportunity to pursue progressive planning. These champions were committed to technically competent planning practice and a moral duty to plan for SLR. The analysis reveals the importance of a top-down mandate to spur SLR planning in Florida when paired with regional capacity building and local level progressive champions.

Keywords:

• Sea level rise adaptation
• planning mandate
• Peril of Flood Act
• Tampa Bay region

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank our team of graduate research assistants and all of the participants in this study for sharing their insights and experiences with us. Without them, this research would not have been possible.

Author contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by William Butler and Tisha Holmes. The first draft of the manuscript was written by William Butler and Tisha Holmes and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.