“Perception is not reality. Just because you think something is reality doesn’t make it reality.”
—Jim Taylor, Psychology Today August 2019
A high-ranking City of Fort Lauderdale official admitted her costly climate resiliency programs were based on the “perception” of residents. Nancy Gassman, the Assistant Director of Public Works, made the shocking claim during a November 2020 online seminar. REDBROWARD has previously reported on Gassman’s inept handling of drainage and flooding issues in the City of Fort Lauderdale.
The 2020 “Coastal Sustainability” seminar featured a discussion of climate change funding with Gassman and two other climate change officials. During her segment, Gassman boasted how she imbedded “sea level rise” measures into the “DNA” of multiple programs throughout Fort Lauderdale government. Then, Gassman discussed how residents’ opinions helped justify the millions of dollars spent on sea level rise and other climate change measures via annual surveys.
Gassman said, “We do an annual survey with our residents and ask them what their perceptions are of how the community is doing. Including, are you noticing sea level rise, are you noticing that there’s additional heavy rainfall events, are you noticing that it’s warmer?” Gassman said local politicians use the “perception” of residents to maintain and even increase the money poured into her resiliency programs.
“Are you noticing sea level rise, are you noticing that there’s additional heavy rainfall events, are you noticing that it’s warmer?”
—Nancy Gassman, November 2020
CREATING PERCEPTION?
Are the actions or the incompetence of local bureaucrats altering residents’ perception of reality?
Last June, REDBROWARD revealed how Nancy Gassman admitted her costly tidal valve program caused street flooding. According to Gassman, rainfall had nowhere to go during high tide because valves blocked street drains. After REDBROWARD posted video of Gassman’s shocking comments, the City Of Fort Lauderdale quickly commented on Youtube.
The City wrote, ““Tidal valves had no impact on the April 2023 flooding in the City of Fort Lauderdale. When there is a rain event during a high tide, tidal valves remain closed to prevent tidal water from backing up into the storm drain system and flooding city streets. Once the tide recedes, the tidal valves are able to reopen and allow fresh rainwater to discharge into waterways.”
The City of Fort Lauderdale admitted (again) that their drainage system caused street flooding.
What happens when a resident is asked about street flooding in next year’s survey?
The City and its local media allies repeatedly blame the flooding on sea level rise and climate change, not on tidal valves or an expensive, hair-brained seawall program.
Most residents are totally unaware that Gassman’s street flooding “fix” is making the problem worse.
Will Gassman listen to the “perception” of River Oaks and Edgewood residents deeply affected by the April street flooding?
Notice the lingo used by Gassman. Heavy thunderstorms become “extreme rainfall.” Hot summer days are now extreme heat events.
Over the last month, local media blared warnings about extreme heat advisories using the new “feels like” index.
Forget the simple thermostat. Now, Gassman and her allies want to use a nebulous formula of temperature, humidity and wind speed to create a new emergency over a hot day.
Is Gassman influencing the “perception” of residents by constantly claiming the sea will rise a couple of feet during the near future?
Surely Nancy Gassman only uses the data from the top scientific minds to justify these claims, right?
Stay tuned, there’s more…
