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Climate change and sea level rise present significant risks to coastal governments’ fiscal and service solvency. Current lack of focus on climate change by the U.S. federal and some state governments pressures coastal governments to develop tractable solutions to manage localized risks. This research integrates adaptive governance and capital planning literatures to develop an adaptive risk management framework. Heeding the call for research of coastal county actions to plan for and respond to climate change, we conduct content analysis of planning documents, financial reports, meeting minutes, media reports, and other documentation of all coastal counties in Florida to quantify government efforts to address climate change. Risk management practices are hierarchically categorized by focus area, risk type, and tactic and placed within the adaptive risk management process framework. A well-functioning adaptive risk management process can redefine vague climate change risks into knowable, tractable problems to address.

We provide original research on planning for sea level rise (SLR) in the southeastern United States. Our analysis of 85 coastal counties finds that most are in the early stages, having recognized SLR as a general threat to their coastal communities. However, relatively few evidence comprehensive analysis of risk across their portfolio of infrastructure assets and service areas. Using a staged planning model, we find that strong information gathering contributes to greater breadth when considering adaptive measures. Ultimately, integration of risk management and comprehensive planning can help create adaptive pathways by identifying short-term, low-regret actions while preserving options for an uncertain future.

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