Coral Gables partners with FIU for sea-level rise discussions

Coral Gables is joining the growing conversation in South Florida about sea-level rise by hosting a series of discussions and educational forums on the topic.

The first of three meetings over the next few months will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Coral Gables City Hall, 405 Biltmore Way.

The city is partnering with Florida International University’s Sea Level Solutions Center for a discussion on the basics of sea level rise.

The talk will be led by Todd Crowl, a professor in the biology department and director of the Southeast Environmental Research Center at FIU. Crowl’s discussion will focus on what causes sea-level rise and how South Florida may be impacted.

Sea-level rise is a topic that the commission has discussed multiple times in the last few months following Mayor Jim Cason’s participation in the Rising Tides Summit in New Hampshire last October. The city is also developing a sustainability master plan and recently tentatively approved the creation of a Waterway Advisory Board.

The city also plans to partner with the University of Miami to continue researching the issue and finding ways to combat climate change.

The next two meetings in the series will take place at the Coral Gables Museum, 285 Aragon Ave. The March 8 meeting will be led by Ryan Stoa, an FIU law professor with expertise in water resources, ocean and coastal law, and focus on the public policy implications of sea-level rise. The April 13 meeting will center on climate responsive design and will feature discussion from FIU graduate students from the schools of art and architecture, biology, public health and others.

For more information on the city’s sustainability efforts visit coralgables.com/sustainability and to learn more about FIU’s Sea Level Solutions Center visit slsc.fiu.edu.

This story was originally published February 11, 2016 at 10:10 PM with the headline "Coral Gables partners with FIU for sea-level rise discussions."