Mandated Planning for Climate Change

Abstract

Problem, research strategy, and findings

Florida’s 2015 Peril of Flood Act requires that coastal localities incorporate sea level rise (SLR) planning policies into their comprehensive plans. We surveyed planners and reviewed more than 150 plans to determine how communities responded to the state mandate along three domains: planning intelligence, SLR responses, and collaboration. We learned that the mandate spurred SLR planning, but that local SLR planning responses varied widely, ranging from complacent compliance to progressive planning responses. Further research is needed to clarify underlying motivators for these varied responses, as well as connections between policy adoption and implementation.

Takeaway for practice

Flexible mandates allow for discretion in how localities respond to complex, ever-changing, long-term, and uncertain phenomena like climate change and SLR. Commitment to addressing these challenges can be bolstered by state mandates that provide political cover and an impetus to move adaptation planning forward. Such flexibility can lead to inconsistent and vague policies. Thus, mandates can spur local policy adoption but cannot ensure substantive responses to climate change. Meaningful responses to climate change adaptation still depend heavily on local commitment, capacity, and competence of planners.

Keywords:

• adaptation planning
• climate change
• local comprehensive planning
• sea level rise
• state mandate

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We thank graduate students Anthony Milordis and Jacob Hunt and undergraduate student Ben Gordon, who helped gather and categorize plan language for this project. We also greatly appreciate the insights and suggestions of three anonymous reviewers and the editor. Their guidance greatly improved the article. Any errors remain our own.

RESEARCH SUPPORT

This work was supported by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection [CM 935].

Notes

1 For a more detailed explanation of the survey process and a complete review of results from the larger survey, see Butler et al. (2019).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

William Butler

WILLIAM BUTLER ([email protected]) is an associate professor at Florida State University (FSU).

Tisha Holmes

TISHA HOLMES ([email protected]) is an assistant professor at FSU.

Zechariah Lange

ZECHARIAH LANGE ([email protected]) is a recent PhD graduate from FSU.