62S-7.012. SLIP Study Standards

A SLIP study required under Section 380.0937, F.S., shall meet the following standards and criteria, and the Department’s web-based tool has been designed to meet these standards and criteria:

(1) Show the amount of sea level rise expected over 50 years or the expected life of the potentially at-risk structure or infrastructure, whichever is less. When there are multiple project features that function as one combined project, as contemplated by Section 380.0937(3), F.S., one SLIP study may be submitted, but the expected life shall be that of the highest Risk Category for all project features contemplated. The amount of sea level rise expected must be calculated using the following criteria:

(a) The sea level rise scenarios used for analysis must, at a minimum, include the highest of the sea level rise projections required by Section 380.093(3)(d)3.b., F.S.

(b) The local sea level rise at the project’s location must be interpolated (using the project’s distance away from the gauges as the independent variable) between the two closest coastal tide gauges that do not have data warnings associated with them with NOAA sea level rise projections listed below.

1. 8670870 Fort Pulaski, Georgia

2. 8720030 Fernandina Beach, Florida

3. 8720218 Mayport, Florida

4. 8721604 Trident Pier, Florida

5. 8722670 Lake Worth Pier, Florida

6. 8723214 Virginia Key, Florida

7. 8723970 Vaca Key, Florida

8. 8724580 Key West, Florida

9. 8725110 Naples, Florida

10. 8725520 Fort Myers, Florida

11. 8726384 Port Manatee, Florida

12. 8726674 East Bay, Florida

13. 8726520 St. Petersburg, Florida

14. 8726724 Clearwater Beach, Florida

15. 8727520 Cedar Key, Florida

16. 8728690 Apalachicola, Florida

17. 8729108 Panama City, Florida

18. 8729210 Panama City Beach, Florida

19. 8729840 Pensacola, Florida

20. 8735180 Dauphin Island, Alabama

(c) Flood depth must be calculated in North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD88) over the entirety of the project location out 50 years or the potentially at-risk structure or infrastructure’s expected life, whichever is less, for the highest of the sea level rise projections required by Section 380.093(3)(d)3.b., F.S.

(d) The contribution of land subsidence to relative local sea level rise must be included. The land subsidence contribution is calculated by NOAA for each local tide gauge and is included in each of the NOAA sea level projections. This data (labeled VLM for Vertical Land Movement) is presented in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) sea level change calculator (Version 2022.72) (effective July 1, 2024) found at https://cwbi-app.sec.usace.army.mil/rccslc/slcc_calc.html, hereby incorporated by reference http://www.flrules.org/Gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref-16620.

(2) Show the estimated probability of significant flood damage risk expected over 50 years or the expected life of the potentially at-risk structure or infrastructure, whichever is less. Use the following metrics to calculate the amount of flooding and wave damage for use in determining the probability of significant flood damage:

(a) FEMA storm surge water surface elevation for the 1% annual chance (100 year) flood event must be approximated in NAVD88 for the entire project location. Location-specific water surface elevations can be found within the SLIP tool or at the FEMA Flood Map Service Center https://msc.fema.gov/portal/home (effective July 1, 2021), hereby incorporated by reference http://www.flrules.org/Gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref-13156. Copies of these documents may be obtained by writing to the Office of Resilience and Coastal Protection, Mail Station 230, Department of Environmental Protection, Douglas Building, 3900 Commonwealth Blvd., Tallahassee, Florida 32399-3000.

(b) The FEMA 1% annual chance water surface elevation must be added to the highest of the sea level rise projections required by Section 380.093(3)(d)3.b., F.S., and then compared to the project’s critical elevations to assess flood risk. Critical elevations must be Finished First Floor Elevation (FFE), the Lowest Adjacent Grade (LAG) of the potentially at-risk structure or infrastructure, or another critical design element which may be substantially damaged if flooded. Refer to the 2023 Florida Building Code, Section 1603.1.7, Flood Design Data (effective July 1, 2024), for assistance in defining the critical elevation at https://codes.iccsafe.org/content/FLBC2023P1/chapter-16-structural-design#FLBC2023P1_Ch16_Sec1603.1.7, hereby incorporated by reference http://www.flrules.org/Gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref-16621. Copies of these documents may be obtained by writing to the Office of Resilience and Coastal Protection, Mail Station 230, Department of Environmental Protection, Douglas Building, 3900 Commonwealth Blvd., Tallahassee, Florida 32399-3000.

(c) Depth-Damage Curves must be used to estimate the cost of future flood damage, for vertical construction only, by assessing the approximate flood depth within the structure, using the comparison of the critical elevations to the previously calculated 1% annual chance water surface elevation added to the highest of the sea level rise projections required by Section 380.093(3)(d)3.b., F.S. The estimated damage cost based on flood depth relative to critical elevations varies based on building characteristics and can be found in the 2015 North Atlantic Coast Comprehensive Study, titled “Resilient Adaptation to Increasing Risk: Physical Depth Damage Function Summary Report” (effective January 2015), hereby incorporated by reference https://www.flrules.org/Gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref-16624. Copies of these documents may be obtained by writing to the Office of Resilience and Coastal Protection, Mail Station 230, Department of Environmental Protection, Douglas Building, 3900 Commonwealth Blvd., Tallahassee, Florida 32399-3000.

(3) The state-financed constructor must show the risk to public safety and environmental impacts expected over 50 years or the expected life of the potentially at-risk structure or infrastructure, whichever is less using the following criteria.

(a) Each potentially at-risk structure or infrastructure must be assigned a Risk Category using the 2023 Florida Building Code Table 1604.5, Risk Category of Buildings and Other Structures (effective July 1, 2024). The table can be found at https://codes.iccsafe.org/content/FLBC2023P1/chapter-16-structural-design#FLBC2023P1_Ch16_Sec1604.5, hereby incorporated by reference http://www.flrules.org/Gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref-16623. Copies of these documents may be obtained by writing to the Office of Resilience and Coastal Protection, Mail Station #230, Department of Environmental Protection, Douglas Building, 3900 Commonwealth Blvd., Tallahassee, Florida 32399-3000.

(b) The ultimate design windspeed for the project location must be provided to define the risk of flying debris. This windspeed varies based on the Risk Category of the building and can be found in Figures 1609.3(1), 1609.3(2), 1609.3(3), and 1609.3(4) in the 2023 Florida Building Code (effective July 1, 2024) at: https://codes.iccsafe.org/content/FLBC2023P1/chapter-16-structural-design#FLBC2023P1_Ch16_Sec1609.3, hereby incorporated by reference http://www.flrules.org/Gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref-16622. Copies of these documents may be obtained by writing to the Office of Resilience and Coastal Protection, Mail Station #230, Department of Environmental Protection, Douglas Building, 3900 Commonwealth Blvd., Tallahassee, Florida 32399-3000.

(4) Alternatives must be provided for the project’s design and siting, and the SLIP study must state how such alternatives would address public safety and environmental impacts resulting from damage to the potentially at-risk structure or infrastructure, including but not limited to, leakage of pollutants, electrocution and explosion hazards, and hazards resulting from floating or flying structural debris as well as the risks and costs associated with construction, maintenance and repair of the potentially at-risk structure or infrastructure.

(5) The state-financed constructor must provide a list of flood mitigation strategies evaluated as part of the design of the potentially at-risk structure or infrastructure and identify appropriate flood mitigation strategies for consideration as part of the potentially at-risk structure or infrastructure design.

(6) If a state-financed constructor chooses to conduct its own SLIP study and not use the Department’s web-based tool, the SLIP study shall be submitted to the Department for publication via secure sign-in on the DEP-provided website. The SLIP study report shall be in an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Section 508 compliant portable document format. The report contents shall include, but not be limited to, a description of the approach used in conducting the study, numbered references to the information used in the study, a narrative with graphic illustrations to demonstrate the application of the study approach to the information used, and a discussion of the assessments and alternatives.

Rulemaking Authority 380.0937(6) FS. Law Implemented 380.0937, 380.093(3) FS. History‒New 7-1-21, Amended 7-1-24.