The City of Port Richey, like many coastal communities in Florida, is particularly vulnerable to threats related to flooding because of its low-lying geography and coastal exposure. In responding to these threats, the City of Port Richey received grant funding from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) Resilient Florida Program to conduct and prepare a Vulnerability Assessment, completed in August 2023. This Adaptation Plan is a follow-up on the Vulnerability Assessment, to provide adaptation strategies to support the city in building resilience to climate-related hazards.

The City of Port Richey, like many coastal communities in Florida, is particularly vulnerable to threats related to flooding because of its low-lying geography and coastal exposure. In responding to these threats, the City of Port Richey received grant funding from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) Resilient Florida Program to conduct and prepare a Vulnerability Assessment, completed in August 2023. This Adaptation Plan is a follow-up on the Vulnerability Assessment, to provide adaptation strategies to support the city in building resilience to climate-related hazards. The Vulnerability Assessment was conducted to assess the exposure and sensitivity of current and future flood hazard scenarios on public infrastructure. It assessed the specific risks posed by flooding and rising sea levels to critical infrastructure, public facilities, residential areas, natural resources, and the overall community. As a product of the Vulnerability Assessment, a catalogued inventory of public infrastructure and its associated risk to 15 flood hazard scenarios was provided to the city. Upon completion of the Vulnerability Assessment, feedback and recommendations from city representatives were solicited and included within this subsequent report. This Adaptation Plan elaborates on the findings from the Vulnerability Assessment and identifies the most vulnerable areas as focus areas. The selection of the focus areas was a collaborative effort with input on priorities from city representatives, community members, experts, and the outcome of the exposure and sensitivity analyses. The selected focus areas are Citywide, Residential and Commercial Areas West of US Hwy 19, Transportation/Evacuation Routes, the Cottee River Landing Area, Stormwater Improvements, and Wetlands/Marsh/Environmental Preservation. For each identified focus area, a variety of strategies for helping the city become more resilient to the effects of sea level rise and flooding are recommended. The adaptation recommendations outlined in this report include protection, accommodation, managed retreat/relocation, avoidance, and procedural strategies. Due to the City of Port Richey's geographic location along Florida's Gulf Coast and coastal exposure, an emphasis on citywide initiatives is provided. The City of Port Richey is tasked with balancing the demand for increasing development and the protection of fragile environmental resources. This Adaptation Plan aims to support the city in promoting sustainable development through infrastructure improvements, policy recommendations, public engagement opportunities, and identifying funding sources. Achieving community-wide resilience will require collaboration with citizens, businesses, organizations, and government entities, as well as a multi-year commitment of resources, monitoring, and active engagement across city departments. While the journey ahead will be complex, the results and outcomes from the City of Port Richey's Vulnerability Assessment and Adaptation Plan will lay the foundation for the next steps to follow to enhance Port Richey's overall resilience.