Raise the Seawalls: Local Governments & Flood Protection

Rising seas and more frequent and severe storms are increasing the risks and costs of flooding. Using 2009-2018 data for the U.S. state of Florida from FEMA’s Community Rating System program (CRS), which scores participating local governments on their flood risk mitigation activities: I study (1) whether increasing flood risks have led to increases in program participation and score among Florida towns and cities; (2) what risk, fiscal, and demographic factors are driving local governments to invest in CRS-recognized flood risk mitigation measures; and (3) the association between CRS measures and home values