South Florida and Tampa Bay are Polar Opposites When it comes to Sea Level Rise
One region has taken Sea Level Rise head on. The other has taken a “wait-and-see” approach.

When it comes to the tale of Sea Level Rise in Florida, South Florida and Tampa Bay are at opposite ends of the climate spectrum.
The top two metro regions in Florida combine for nearly 10 million of the Sunshine State’s population, both have the same flat-as-a-pancake topography, and both have the same outlook when it comes to Sea Level Rise.
As soon as 2040, parts of both South Florida and Tampa Bay could very well be dealing with chronic flooding from rising tides and seas, which will worsen as the 21st Century moves along.
So you would think that both of these vulnerable areas would approach Sea Level Rise with the same intensity they would a Category 3 hurricane, right? Well, you would be right, about South Florida.
Ever since it was revealed seven years ago that the seas were rising at a faster clip than imagined, the four core South Florida counties (Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Monroe) have joined forces to mitigate the effects of the rising seas.
Miami Beach has been ground-zero in the fight to stay dry, embarking on a $500 million plan to install pumps, raise streets, and build sea walls to protect the city from future rises in the sea.
Across Biscayne Bay in Miami, city officials are banking on voter support in their “Miami Forever” bond package that will include $400 million for pumps and other sea level mitigation tactics. The city and Miami-Dade County are also considering returning some of its developed lands back to nature to hold back the coming flood.
Other cities in South Florida, from West Palm Beach to Key West, are hardening their defenses against Sea Level Rise, and time will tell if the area is winning the fight.
But at least South Florida is fighting for its future.
Up Interstate 75 in Tampa Bay, the region is taking a vastly different approach. In a recent report by the Washington Post, the paper brought to light Tampa Bay’s ill-preparedness for Sea Level Rise and the problems that will come along with it.
Granted, some parts of the Bay Area have begun their fight against the rising Gulf of Mexico, most of which is in Pinellas County. Hillsborough County, on the other hand, has yet to start its concrete fight against its future enemy; but the Bay Area, as a whole, has been 10 steps behind South Florida in preparation of rising seas.
Making things worse in Tampa Bay is the fact that the area, especially Tampa, has built new skyscrapers and infrastructure in recent years, with more on the way; and with precious few buildings in the region shielded from hurricanes and floods, the risks from rising tides and seas have become even greater.
It’s like Tampa Bay has taken a “wait-and-see” approach to Sea Level Rise, waiting on directives from Tallahassee and Washington on what to do to prepare themselves for a future with more water.

Those directives aren’t coming anytime soon, and government officials in Tampa Bay have to take notes from their peers down south that taking matters into your own hands may be the best bet in trying to save most of the region from the sea.
Granted, it’s a fight that will be long, slow and costly, and regardless of whether the mitigation plans work, some parts of the Sunshine State will eventually have to be abandoned.
But at least put up a fight for the future, and that’s exactly what South Florida is doing. Tampa Bay on the other hand? Well, let’s hope that they see the light of Sea Level Rise before it’s too late.
