SAINT AUGUSTINE, Fla. — All eyes will be on St. Augustine this weekend and into next week as sea-level rise experts from around the world will converge on the ancient city.
The 4th annual Keeping History Above Water conference is now sold out.
St. Augustine may be small, but it’s been front and center when it comes to discussions about rising seas.
This weekend, it’ll be front and center yet again, as it hosts a Keeping History Above Water.
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City manager John Regan said the exposure will be good.
“Brings up our status as a community that is worth protecting at a national level,” said Regan.
Action News Jax has for years covered flooding issues in St. Augustine, from nuisance flooding to hurricanes Matthew and Irma.
Enid Fitzpatrick-Kramer who lives in Davis Shores knows firsthand what it was like.
“It is such a shock that you walk into your house and you see it completely flooded,” she said.
City leaders aren’t afraid to be vocal about the need to do something to make the city more resilient.
Some projects are already underway.
“Some projects that are defensive in nature such as the project we’re doing in the downtown area with Maria Sanchez,” said Regan.
But to continue fortifying the city, it’s going to money and a lot of it.
“The solutions to St. Augustine could easily be north of $200 million,” said Regan.
An unreachable price tag for a city with an annual budget of $55 million.
“We’re going to need grants and outside resources from the federal government and state government,” said Regan.
The conference begins on Sunday with a presentation that’s open to the public at the Lewis auditorium from 5 to 7 p.m
Cox Media Group
