Relocating assets of the former ShorePoint Health hospital, and elevating, retrofitting or relocating the former YMCA Bayfront Center building and Punta Gorda Boat Club are just some of the many recommendations in Punta Gorda’s 2024 Climate Adaptation and Vulnerability Assessment.
On March 19, Punta Gorda City Council will approve and adopt the plan that was first initiated in 2009 and updated in 2019. Since then, the city received funding through Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Resilient Florida Program and hired Taylor Engineering Inc. to bring the city’s assessment plan up to date.
While the report was being prepared, the city was hit with hurricanes Helene and Milton within two weeks of each other in September and October. The assessment was amended to reflect the impact of those storms before being finalized in December.
There are three focus areas in the report designated to receive priority: downtown, fire station/nature parks and U.S. 41 commercial areas.
The report recommends the Herald Court Parking Garage, which is approximately 1,900 feet from the waterfront, have its low-lying corridors studied to see how water flows in the direction of the parking garage and could impact assets along its path.
While elevation in Punta Gorda ranges from sea level to approximately 15 feet above sea level, many of the city’s assets and critical infrastructure and essential services, such as communication, water, power and waste management, are in low-lying areas and vulnerable to future storms.
Punta Gorda covers about 21 square miles, 16 of which are mostly flat. The city has 55 miles of canals, and there are 109 miles of seawalls in waterfront canals throughout, according to the report.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Natural Risk Index shows the city is rated relatively moderate to very high risk, and all of Charlotte County is at relatively high risk for hurricanes.
Many homes in the downtown area and Historic District were built at sea level. The report recommends elevating or demolishing homes prone to flooding. For vacant lots in the area, owners could help mitigate flooding by allowing their property to be turned into a small park or habitat.
For lift stations and other essential facilities that cannot be elevated, putting barriers around them is another solution mentioned in the report.
Taylor Engineering’s project team, using National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data, projected sea levels could rise between 0.6 and 0.8 feet higher by 2050 and up to 2 feet higher by 2080.
There are measures the city has been advised to take to minimize the impact of storm surge and wave action, in addition to moving or demolishing structures.
The city already launched its pilot project at Tiki Point along the central Harbor Walk to create a living shoreline. If successful, the project will be a model for additional shoreline protection projects across the city.
Living shoreline projects emphasize mangrove management and protection, as mangroves provide a natural barrier for coastal cities and reduce wave action and storm surge.
The natural shorelines of Trabue, Shreve and Gilchrist parks also are targeted for living shoreline projects.
Many Historic District homes are located across from Shreve and Gilchrist parks, and many of them were either severely damaged or destroyed by flooding from Helene and Milton.
Other focus areas in the city’s Climate Adaptation Plan are affordable public housing, community centers, including Cooper Street Recreation Center, Visual Arts Center, Punta Gorda Library, Charlotte County Jail and Emergency Operations Center, South County Regional Park, and emergency response, including fire stations and law enforcement offices, water treatment plants, and schools and school board facilities.
