Key Biscayne is an island town in Miami-Dade County, Florida, with a population around 13,000. The village, which is connected to Miami via the Rickenbacker Causeway, has a total area of 1.4 square miles and is bordered on the east by the Atlantic Ocean and on the west by Biscayne Bay.
Because of its low elevation and direct exposure to the Atlantic Ocean, Key Biscayne is particularly susceptible to the dangers of sea level rise. It is usually among the first Miami areas to be evacuated before an oncoming hurricane.
Understanding it’s vulnerable location along the coast, the Village is proactive in its mitigation and prevention efforts. Key Biscayne has a Stormwater Master Plan underway and staff and consulting engineers are pursuing a comprehensive approach to assessing and addressing stormwater infrastructure and tidal flooding, including sea level rise. The goal of the plan is a higher level of service for Village infrastructure based on comprehensive stormwater modeling and analyses.
In addition, Key Biscayne had a comprehensive sea level rise vulnerability analysis conducted in order to assess the impacts of sea level rise on critical infrastructure and natural systems. Based on the findings, an Adaptation Plan with recommendations on specific measures and options that improve the Village’s resilience was created.
Key Biscayne continues proactive measures to mitigate the dangers of seal level rise and flooding, incorporates feedback from village residents, and has joined the coalition.
