The 2019-2021 project focuses on the City of Port St. Joe, its surrounding region’s recovery from Hurricane Michael and their long-term resilience. On October 10, 2018, Hurricane Michael, the first Category 5 storm to hit the U.S. mainland since 1992, made landfall near Mexico Beach, twelve miles west of Port St. Joe. The storm devastated communities across the Florida Panhandle and into Georgia.

The FRC process began with community workshops that illustrated the values, goals, and needs of the residents of Port St. Joe. The information gleaned from these workshops was passed on to UF faculty in a Request for Proposals, to encourage faculty and student research initiatives that would explore community resilience. These Faculty-Led Research Initiatives were undertaken during the Spring of 2020, exploring built environment, social and cultural resilience. 

These research initiatives culminated in a community workshop held in August of 2020, during which the research results were shared and given feedback by the community. Additionally, the Spring 2020 research process led to community-prioritization of three projects for further development and potential implementation. These three projects, Urban Connection: The Civic Center, Environment: Parks and Open Space, and Shelter: Affordable and Resilient Housing, are underway during Fall 2020 and Spring 2021. These three projects continue to involve community stakeholders, with the goal of developing resilient design and policy that will be implemented through future grants to the City. The projects will be passed on to the community in the Fall of 2021.