CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. — Charlotte County is receiving $2.5 million in state funding to enhance its ability to track tide levels in real time and develop models for future flooding events.
Four of the five new tide gauges purchased by the county in April have already been installed across Charlotte Harbor, including one in Punta Gorda.
Watch Fox 4's Alex Orenczuk's report:
"We also have gauges right now over in Lemon Bay at Tom Adams Bridge, Gasparilla Island Bridge, and then over near the Mayaka River around the South Gulf Cove community. We're looking to put another one up somewhere around the Mayaka River, and we're working out locations right now for that," Brandon Moody, Charlotte County's Water Quality Manager said.
Moody explained that a portion of the new funding will support model development.
"A significant chunk of that funding is really going to go towards that model development. Building compound flood models, planning tools, as well as response tools to help us identify areas of greater concern and future concern," Moody said.
The data collected will be used for emergency response planning and could potentially influence future development decisions in our Southwest Florida community.
The public will also have access to the gauge data, Moody said likely before peak hurricane season arrives. This information can be valuable for boaters and may even assist with insurance claims.
Charlotte County will host a public meeting on August 12 at the Charlotte Harbor Event Center to discuss how the county is handling and planning for storm surge, sea level rise, and other flooding events.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
