RESILIENT PORT ST. JOE
Vulnerability and Sensitivity Analysis
The Vulnerability Assessment and Adaptation Plan evaluates current and future flood risks while identifying adaptation strategies that strengthen the resilience of Port St. Joe’s communities, infrastructure, natural resources, and economy.
The Resilient Port St. Joe Vulnerability Assessment and Adaptation Plan evaluates how coastal flooding, sea level rise, and storm surge may affect the city’s people, infrastructure, economy, and natural resources. By combining a comprehensive vulnerability assessment with targeted adaptation strategies, the project provides a data-driven framework for resilience planning, informed decision-making, and long-term community adaptation.
Coastal Flood Hazards
Port St. Joe is increasingly vulnerable to sea level rise, tidal flooding, storm surge, FEMA Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHA), and compound flooding. Understanding how these hazards affect homes, infrastructure, natural resources, and economic assets is the first step toward identifying effective strategies that reduce flood risks and strengthen community resilience.
Building a Resilience Roadmap
The Vulnerability Assessment and Adaptation Plan integrates flood modeling, geospatial analysis, critical asset inventories, and community engagement to identify areas of greatest flood risk and prioritize adaptation actions. Together, these findings guide resilience planning, infrastructure investments, and long-term strategies that help Port St. Joe prepare for future coastal challenges.
Vulnerability Assessement
Adaptation Plan
vulnerability Assessment
The Vulnerability Assessment provides a comprehensive understanding of how coastal flooding, sea level rise, storm surge, and other flood hazards may affect Port St. Joe’s communities and critical assets. By combining flood modeling, geospatial analysis, and asset inventories, the assessment identifies priority vulnerabilities and establishes the foundation for targeted adaptation strategies that strengthen long-term community resilience.
Zone of Analysis
Port St. Joe features unique natural and city conditions delineating distinct zones based on geography, urban form, land use, density, and elevation. This differentiation is crucial for effectively addressing the specific vulnerabilities and needs of various parts of the city. To facilitate targeted analysis and interventions, the study area has been organized into six zones:
Zone 1 – Downtown Port St. Joe
Port St. joe downtown and historical area
Zone 2 – North Port St. Joe
Cemetery Park and the surrounding residential areas of Gulf Boulevard and Hodges Avenue
Zone 3 – South Port St. Joe
Residential area at the end of Hodges Avenue on the west of Zone 2
Zone 4 – East Port St. Joe
Port St. Joe Airport and its surrounding residential area
Zone 5 – West Port St. Joe
State Road 24 access from Bridge #4 to the beginning of D Street
Zone 6 – Beach Communities
Influence Area, not a specific zone but includes the surrounding region containing critical assets that influence the functioning of Port St. Joe
Port St. Joe Asset Summary
Housing Exposure Analysis
Housing vulnerability is projected to increase significantly over time, with Category 2 hurricanes becoming a major driver of residential flood exposure. Approximately 30% of homes could be affected by 2040, increasing to nearly 50% by 2070.
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Transportation Exposure Analysis
Transportation networks become increasingly vulnerable under storm surge scenarios. A Category 2 hurricane could flood nearly 80% of roads in Downtown and West Port St. Joe, limiting access to key corridors and disrupting connectivity throughout the city.
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Critical Infrastucture Exposure Analysis
Critical infrastructure is projected to face substantially greater flood exposure under future storm scenarios. By 2040, a Category 2 hurricane could affect more than 30% of critical infrastructure assets, increasing to over 50% by 2070, while stronger storms may expose essential facilities to significant flood depths.
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Community and Emergency Facilities Exposure Analysis
Community and emergency facilities are projected to experience increasing flood exposure under future storm scenarios. By 2070, a Category 2 hurricane could affect nearly three times as many facilities as today, with the greatest impacts concentrated in the Downtown area.
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Natural, Cultural, and Historical Resources Exposure Analysis
Natural, cultural, and historical resources represent some of Port St. Joe’s most vulnerable assets. By 2040, a Category 2 hurricane could inundate many historic structures, parks, and open spaces, highlighting the importance of protecting the city’s environmental and cultural heritage.
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PSJ Beach Communities Exposure Analysis
The Beach Communities are among the areas most exposed to coastal flooding due to their low elevation and proximity to the Gulf. Future hurricane scenarios indicate increasing risks to housing, transportation, infrastructure, and beach access, with widespread flooding expected during Category 2 and stronger storms.
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Framework for Adaptation Areas
To better understand where flood risks overlap, the vulnerability assessment combines multiple exposure analyses into a single compound vulnerability map. This integrated approach identifies locations where housing, transportation, critical infrastructure, community facilities, and natural resources experience multiple flood-related challenges, helping reveal the areas with the greatest need for resilience planning.
Based on this analysis, five priority adaptation areas were identified across Port St. Joe. These focus areas represent locations where targeted investments, infrastructure improvements, and resilience strategies can reduce future flood impacts while supporting sustainable community development. Community feedback was also incorporated to ensure the identified priorities reflect local conditions and planning needs.
Adaptation Plan
The vulnerability assessment synthesizes flood exposure across multiple asset categories to identify where risks overlap throughout Port St. Joe. These findings identify priority areas where targeted resilience strategies and future investments can have the greatest community impact.
Adaptation Zones
The following focus areas present targeted adaptation strategies developed from the Vulnerability Assessment. By addressing the specific challenges and opportunities within each area, the Adaptation Plan provides a framework for reducing flood risk, strengthening community resilience, and guiding future investments across Port St. Joe. The plan is guided by three core principles: highlighting the city’s hydrologic conditions, ensuring transportation connectivity, and enhancing flood resilience through place-based solutions that respond to local needs.
To support effective implementation, the Adaptation Plan organizes the city into six adaptation zones—Downtown Port St. Joe, North Port St. Joe, South Port St. Joe, East Port St. Joe, West Port St. Joe, and the Beach Communities. Each zone reflects distinct geographic, environmental, and community characteristics, allowing tailored adaptation strategies that address local priorities while contributing to a more resilient and connected Port St. Joe.
The following projects illustrate key adaptation plans and its primary focus areas:
Project 1:
Disperse Zone
George Core Park and Historic Core: Focus on storm surge protection.
Project 2:
Retain Zone
Central Channel: Increase retention capacity and restore wetlands.
Project 3:
Drain Zone
Battles Street: Enhance surface drainage and create open space.
Project 4:
Consolidate Zone
Civic Center: Housing development and urban development.
Stormsurge Buffer
Lighthouse Park
Disperse
In anticipation of rising sea levels and the heightened risk of hurricanes over the next 50+ years, formulating a strategic plan for downtown Port St. Joe involves establishing a series of protective buffer layers. These layers are designed to both effectively manage water and mitigate the impact of storms. The plan encompasses various elements, such as coastal wetlands along the beach edge, restoration of the historic beach area through nourishment, dune rehabilitation, incorporation of native plants and trees, and the installation of flood barriers.
By combining nature-based solutions, engineering interventions, and temporary measures, this comprehensive system is seamlessly integrated into the existing landscape and topography. These features not only offer crucial protection to the citizens of Port St. Joe but also provide recreational amenities. Additionally, this integrated approach has the potential to enhance the utilization of Lighthouse Park.
Retention Infrastructure
Central Channel Retention Park
A Retention System
Central Channel cuts through a long strip that is lower in elevation compared to the houses next to it. Connecting retention ponds and adding vegetation will help manage flooding by holding and draining water that will naturally flow from the built areas into the channel. This project will also provide a public amenity for residents, with vegetated areas, walking trails, and a bike path.
Connect and Drain
Battles St. Bioswale, Bikepath & Urban Agriculture
Drain
Low-lying areas that were once prone to water accumulation, but have since been filled in, present excellent opportunities for implementing bioswales and effective drainage solutions. These locations are linked to a broader network of canals and marshlands that naturally retain and regulate water from developed areas. Integrating a recreational space with a resilient drainage system not only safeguards the surrounding neighborhood but also provides a valuable public amenity. Bioswales, as part of an integrated drainage system, incorporate native plants and underground stormwater drains to enhance their effectiveness.
Consolidate and Conserve
PSJ Civic Center and Updates
Consolidate
Port St. Joe anticipates sustained population growth and increased housing demand. Concentrating this growth offers multiple advantages, such as enhanced protection against storms and improved efficiency in delivering essential services like power, water, and sewer. The elevated terrain in Port St. Joe provides a conducive environment for more compact development, minimizing vulnerability to flooding.
Relocating City Hall to a protected zone not only ensures improved accessibility to essential resources for all citizens but also reduces maintenance and potential damage repair costs. Additionally, preserving the densely forested area at the city’s rear is crucial for maintaining the natural ecosystem that spans the city. This preservation contributes to ongoing services provided by the forest, including temperature regulation, water management, and acting as a buffer against storms.
Project Outcomes & Reports
Resilient Port St. Joe: Vulnerability + Sensitivity Analysis Report
Resilient Port St. Joe:
Adaptation Plan
