Nothing like a predawn drive down Atlantic Boulevard during the tail end of Hurricane Rafael to make the point that whether it’s a full-on post-storm flood or “just” the remnants of a tropical storm, the ocean has no respect for things built on its shore.
With access now to almost a quarter-billion dollars in potential bond funds, the Key West City Commission faces tough choices on how we’ll cope with constant Atlantic-side flooding.
I took friends to the airport that morning and when I turned off White Street, I knew I’d made a mistake. As we no-waked it along Atlantic and then South Roosevelt, I kicked myself for not going the long way around on Flagler. No matter how many times we rebuild South Roosevelt, or Atlantic for that matter, the Atlantic Ocean’s not going to play nicely.
That puts Key West between a wet rock and a flooded place. The 2.4 miles between the White Street Pier (AKA the Edward Knight Pier) and the airport are at sea level. We long ago built out much of that stretch, with most of it right at the water’s edge.
There are no mangroves to slow things down. Waves pay little attention to the existing seawalls. Storm drains can’t cope with even routine flooding. Dodging standing saltwater can be a daily game for cars, bikes and people.
Our choices for coping come down to two: Keep mitigating to hold off the flooding or tear down seaside condos and hotels and the surrounding neighborhoods. In case you’ve been dreaming of the really old days, that second one’s not happening.
We’re left with mitigation and the $65 million adaptation bond contains plans to reconstruct Atlantic Boulevard. That likely means raising the road, with related projects to improve drainage and repave the road. There’s a provision to “protect neighborhoods,” though what that might mean is unclear.
The adaptation bond also includes raising Jose Marti Drive (think Eisenhower next to Bayview Park), raising the seawall and improving drainage. I live around the corner so I know firsthand how treacherous that intersection is with king tides.
Both projects beg this question: How high do we raise those roads and sea walls before there’s a 12-foot wall along the entire south side of the island and along Bayview Park? Fact is, none of us know and whatever we might decide today, the wall and the road will get taller and higher as sea level rise continues.
Bond funds | Let’s make adaptation number 1
On Nov. 5, Key West voters approved the four bond referendums that give the city potential access to $226 million for capital projects. Almost 69 percent of Key West voters approved the bond referendum for adaptation. That’s significantly more approval than for the remaining three: transportation and parking (63 percent); public safety projects (60 percent); parks and recreation (57 percent).
I think it’s safe to say that Key West voters understand that if we don’t take significant strides to adapt to climate change and mitigate its effects, climate change, sea level rise and flooding, no improvements to parks and recreation or public safety buildings and parking are going to matter.
Sure, we can go ahead with the Bayview Park improvements, which are part of the parks and recreation bond. But if we don’t raise Jose Marti Drive and increase the seawall height, all those lovely new picnic tables, basketball courts, tennis facilities and restrooms, not to mention the proposed children’s park with a water feature (think splash pad), are going to be underwater regularly.
I voted for the four referendums, though as regular readers know, I eventually came to believe that without priorities set by the new City Commission and without details on exactly what is meant by such things as “protect the neighborhoods,” a yes vote was probably unwarranted.
But those bonds are on the books now. City commissioners can pick and choose how they’ll proceed, perhaps with a one-from-column-A-one-from-column-B approach. Maybe they’ll think we need a multimillion-dollar expansion of the Coffee Butler Amphitheater in Truman Waterfront Park more than raising the roads along Bayview Park and Atlantic Boulevard. Perhaps they’ll do several projects at the same time.
I’d encourage them to start with the adaptation and mitigation plans. A bigger amphitheater isn’t going to help folks get to and from the airport.
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Monroe County and Key West election results
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