Evaluating Local Flood Mitigation Strategies in Texas and Florida

In the United States, mitigating the adverse impacts of flooding has increasingly become the responsibility of local decision-makers. Despite the importance of understanding how and why flood mitigation techniques are implemented at the local level, few large-scale, empirical studies have been conducted in recent years. Our study examines the current status and extensiveness of flood mitigation among localities in coastal Texas and Florida. Specifically, we analyze twenty-one different structural and non-structural mitigation strategies based on the results of a survey of over 470 floodplain administrators and planning officials across the two states. We also evaluate various characteristics of organizational capacity which may underlie the ability of local city and county jurisdictions to adopt and implement various flood policies. Results show distinct variation in the type and degree of flood mitigation occurring at the local level, as well as highlight important differences in mitigation efforts between Texas and Florida.