It is now widely accepted global sea level will rise a meter or more by the year 2100, yet
prior to this investigation no local government along the east-central Florida coast had
begun to seriously address the potential consequences of concomitant erosion and
inundation. In the fall of 2009, the City of Satellite Beach (City), Florida, authorized a
project designed to: (1) assess municipal vulnerability to rising sea level and (2) initiate
the planning process to properly mitigate impacts.
Results indicate about 5% of the City landscape will submerge during the initial
+2 ft (0.6 m) rise, with inundation generally restricted to fringing wetlands and finger
canal margins proximal to the Banana River. At +4 ft (1.2 m), 25% of the City is
submerged including South Patrick Drive, one of two major transportation corridors
through the City. Residential areas in the north- (c.f. Pelican Coast) and south-west
corners of the City are subject to limited inundation. At an elevation of +6 ft (1.8 m),
52% of the City is underwater including the entire western half centered on South
Patrick Drive. Much of the Pelican Coast neighborhood is submerged, as are residential
areas located in the southwest portion of the City. The function of “critical assets” (i.e.,
fire/rescue), designated emergency evacuation routes (i.e., South Patrick Drive), and
the gravity driven storm-water system is compromised proportional to the magnitude of
rise.