Tag Archives: perception

Fort Lauderdale Official Says Climate Change Group Helps “Put Sea Level Rise In Our DNA”

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Nancy Gassman Says The Southeast Florida Regional Compact Helps “Put Sea Level Rise In Our DNA”

A City Of Fort Lauderdale official says local government uses a climate change organization to help “put sea level rise in our DNA” in order to affect public spending on resiliency programs. Assistant Public Works Director Nancy Gassman made the stunning admission during a November 2020 online seminar about “Coastal Sustainability.” Gassman said the sea level rise data produced by the Southeast Florida Regional Compact was infused into City of Fort Lauderdale master plans for seawall building, parks and recreation programs and even cemetery projects.

Formed in 2009, the Southeast Florida Regional Compact is a partnership of Broward, Miami-Dade, Monroe and Palm Beach County governments to “discuss the climate change threats facing over six million residents in the region.” The Compact created a “Sea Level Rise Ad Hoc Work Group” to predict sea level rise across South Florida. The work group is composed of local government bureaucrats.

According to their 2019 study, sea levels in South Florida will rise seventeen inches by the year 2040.

In addition to sea level rise, the Southeast Florida Regional Compact is sounding the alarm over “extreme rainfall” and “extreme heat.”

Who is prominent member of the Southeast Florida Regional Compact’s “Sea Level Rise Ad Hoc Work Group?”

Yep, City Of Fort Lauderdale Assistant Public Works Director Nancy Gassman.

When Nancy Gassman claims it is important to use the Southeast Florida Regional Compact’s sea level rise data to influence government spending, is she really saying it is important to use data she helped craft to determine the types of expensive resiliency projects she advocates for when speaking to elected officials and residents?

EXPENSIVE FAILURES?

Some of the first resiliency programs pushed by the Southeast Florida Regional Compact were street drainage schemes for Dania Beach Boulevard and Hollywood Boulevard. Now, these areas regularly flood after average summer thunderstorms.

As REDBROWARD previously reported, Gassman’s expensive tidal valve installation program leads to regular street flooding across Fort Lauderdale. Last week, an average thunderstorm caused heavy street flooding along Broward Boulevard near downtown Fort Lauderdale.

Residents and businesses are still recovering from the April street flooding that crippled downtown and other Fort Lauderdale neighborhoods. Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport and the nearby Edgewood neighborhood were underwater for days.

In June, REDBROWARD exposed how Gassman was aware the Edgewood neighborhood lacked basic drainage systems.

Instead of installing drainage in some neighborhoods, Gassman urged residents to keep their swales clear to mitigate flooding.

The April rainfall even flooded Fort Lauderdale City Hall. Now, taxpayers must pay extra for temporary offices for Nancy Gassman and other employees.

If Nancy Gassman cannot keep City Hall dry, should residents really trust her to combat sea level rise?

Gassman and her allies claimed no drainage system could handle the biblical rainfall of April 2023. Yet the Southeast Florida Regional Compact repeatedly mentions “extreme rainfall.”

Did they fail to plan for 11 inches of rain?

Did their previous solutions make flooding worse?

Should we trust Nancy Gassman and the Southeast Florida Regional Compact when it comes to water management, drainage and resilience programs?

Surely the Southeast Florida Regional Compact is run by the top scientific minds in Florida, right?

Get out your notebooks, there’s more…

The Sea Level Rise Ad Hoc Work Group

Science? City Official Admits Fort Lauderdale’s Costly Climate Resiliency Programs Based On “Perception” Of Residents

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“Perception is not reality. Just because you think something is reality doesn’t make it reality.”

—Jim Taylor, Psychology Today August 2019
Nancy Gassman Admits “Perception” Funds Costly Resiliency Programs

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…