Florida Keys Officials Plan Meetings to Discuss Rising Sea Level

Officials in the Florida Keys are preparing for public meetings to discuss sea level rise with residents and business owners in the low-lying island chain.

Monroe County will hold a series of meetings throughout the Keys in the next several months to discuss projections for sea level rise.

The Key West Citizen reports that the county has documented 9 inches of sea level rise in the past 100 years. Experts hired by the county project up to 7 inches of sea level rise by 2030 and up to 24 inches by 2060.

Flooding on roads is one of the county’s top concerns. The county is compiling a list of roads, bridges, buildings and other properties that could be threatened. Several buildings have been raised to higher elevations.