JUPITER ISLAND, Fla. — Jupiter Island leaders say they are "pretty well covered" for future storms following a new vulnerability assessment by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
The report identified 103 critical town assets at risk of flooding, including 68 stormwater facilities, 17 historic sites, conservation lands, and key evacuation routes.
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"Were you surprised at any of the findings in that report?" Investigative Reporter Kate Hussey asked Jupiter Island Commissioner Marshall Field.
"I would say not," replied Field. "The town's been working for a long time on an assessment of our erosion issues, our vulnerability issues."
Hussey spoke with Field at the town's Emergency Operations Center — a building the new report warns could see up to 9 feet of floodwater. Field said the findings confirm what town leaders already knew, which is why they requested the assessment in the first place.
"This whole vulnerability assessment will set up kind of the roadmap for 'how do you adapt' and then take on your highest priorities first, and break those up into chunks," said the town's Beach District Director John Duchok.
The findings come on the heels of a separate state study warning that severe erosion could one day break through part of the island.
"We don't have cataclysmic erosion. We would have cataclysmic erosion if we didn't get federal funding and state funding," said Field.
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Field said the goal is to document the risks, build a roadmap for improvements, and compete for state and federal funding to fix some vulnerabilities.
"We absolutely intend to do that. There's a window that opened up June 1 for applications for funding for this year, and we will certainly take advantage of that," said Field. "I think it's our responsibility as a commission to try and utilize any and all state and federal resources that we can."
Field also addressed immediate concerns about the island's vulnerability.
He said evacuation orders would be issued well before floodwaters threaten roadways, and that the town has a backup facility on the mainland to maintain operations during emergencies.
"The idea generally is that that occurs well in advance of the storm," Field said. "Then we also are embedded with the county's emergency response, so we really feel like we have that pretty well covered."
The 126-page report also warns that stormwater systems face some of the greatest risks, noting they can fail during the very flooding events they are designed to manage.
"There isn't really a way to deal with stormwater runoff on a skinny island in the way you would conventionally think of it when you're talking about the mainland," Field said.
On the question of drainage, Field acknowledged improvements are needed — particularly along North Beach Road — but said the island's narrow, low-lying geography limits many of the solutions available on the mainland.
"We don't have catchment basins, we don't have retention ponds — there just isn't a place for them," Field said.
Field said upgrading drainage infrastructure and potentially transitioning from septic to sewer systems are among the town's top priorities moving forward, with cost estimates expected during the next phase of planning.
"My personal pet project is a switch from septic to sewer. I would love to see that, because then you don't worry about septic and leach fields getting inundated," Field said. "One less thing to worry about, as far as contaminants and whatnot."
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Field said his focus remains on making sure the island and its residents are ready for anything.
"My concern is to be prepared for a worst outcome," Field said. "Let's be ready for that."
Residents who spoke with WPTV near the Emergency Operations Center expressed concern about the findings.
"Wow, that's insane. There's a lot of homes here, and people would not be happy with that," said Alex Brentworth.
"It's a huge concern for me, and they say this year is supposed to be pretty wet," added Fonda Cash.
The report also said most of the buildings that are part of the Jupiter Island Club — an exclusive club built in 1933 — were at high risk of flooding, including the Golf House, Tangerine Theater and Field Office.
Also noted to be at risk of flooding is the island's Christ Memorial Chapel and corresponding buildings. Established in 1939, the chapel served as a sanctuary for shipwrecked crews whose tankers were torpedoed offshore during World War II. A soldier’s choir from the nearby Camp Murphy routinely sang at Sunday services.
The vulnerability assessment also warned that rising water could displace species that depend on dry habitats to survive, but Field said much of that is out of the town's jurisdiction.
"Whatever commentary we had would only be a recommendation, because Nature Conservancy owns a lot of land on the island. We've got a lot of federal land and state land, so all we can really do there is make recommendations," said Field.
Town leaders say addressing the full scope of erosion threats identified in the state report and another will depend heavily on securing state and federal funding.
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