Draft Community Action PlanCity of Atlantic Beach
Sustainability and Resilience
Community Action Plan
Draft 2022
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Special thanks to the numerous people who participated in community meetings, online discussions, and
surveys. A heartfelt thank you also goes to the following individuals that have supported the creation of
this plan. We could not have done it without you!
ATLANTIC BEACH MAYOR AND COMMISSIONERS
Ellen Glasser, Mayor
Bruce Bole, Commissioner Seat 2
Michael “Mike” Waters, Commissioner Seat 3
Candace Kelly, Commissioner Seat 4 & Originator of LEED for Cities certification
Brittany Norris, Mayor Pro Tem & Commissioner Seat 5
ATLANTIC BEACH ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP COMMITTEE (ESC)
Mark Gabrynowicz, ESC Chair
Daniele Giovannucci, ESC Vice Chair
Bruce Andrews, Tree Subcommittee Chair
Amy Palmer, Outreach Subcommittee Chair
Sarah Boren, Sustainability & Resilience Subcommittee Chair
Barbie Brooksher
Linda Chipperfield
Anastasia Houston
Christopher McHan
Patrick Nobles
Romy Vann
ATLANTIC BEACH COMMUNITY ACTION PLAN TASK FORCE
Mark Gabrynowicz
Sarah Boren
Barbie Brooksher
Romy Vann
Dr. Christopher Perle
Dr. Melinda Simmons
Dr. David Lambert
CITY STAFF:
Amanda Askew, AICP, Director, Planning and Community Development
Brian Broedell, Principal Planner
Shane Corbin, City Manager
Jennifer Johnston, Operations Manager
Table of Contents Coming Soon
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
HISTORY & BACKGROUND
Atlantic Beach, Florida is a charming, eclectic coastal town just east of Jacksonville that was
incorporated in 1926. We are a family-friendly city of almost 14,000 residents with a keen sense
of place. We love and value our parks and green spaces, our public beaches, and our lush
maritime forest. With the future of our unique community in mind, the City of Atlantic Beach has
constructed its first Sustainability and Resilience Community Action Plan (CAP) to prepare for
resilience challenges and maintain a healthy, prosperous, sustainable and equitable future for
generations to come.
This CAP is for all those who have or will experience our beautiful oasis city. Resilience and
sustainability are more than just caring for environmental assets. Resiliency and sustainable
development also spurs a spirit of innovation and has the goal of high quality of life, a thriving
natural environment, and economic prosperity for all in the city while building a society that
thinks beyond its time.
The City of Atlantic Beach began the process of seriously planning for a sustainable and resilient
future in August 2017 by establishing an Environmental Stewardship Committee, and in January
2018 when its elected officials put environmental stewardship and LEED for Cities certification as
a priority. On July 19, 2018, the City became the first LEED for Cities Pilot Silver certified city in
Florida. In developing this CAP, the City is creating a living document that is meant to guide the
City’s current and future sustainability and resiliency-based endeavors ranging from community
programs and policy development to infrastructure improvements –all with measurable
outcomes. This first edition of the CAP is meant to be adaptable, allowing the City to check -in
annually and adaptively manage based on economic, social, and environmental dynamic needs.
PURPOSE OF THIS COMMUNITY ACTION PLAN
To take positive, integrated action forward is the main reason for this CAP. Doing nothing is not
an option. The cost of inaction and lack of an actionable plan is not good governance. To have a
community supported plan with target goals, deadlines, and proven strategies to achieve goals
alongside LEED certification for performance measurement allows the City and its citizens to
know where it stands in preparing for the future in terms of sustainability and resilience.
Resiliency is often defined as the capacity of individuals, communities, institutions, businesses,
and systems within a city to survive, endure, adapt, and grow no matter what kinds of chronic
stresses and acute shocks they experience. Sustainability was defined in 1987 by the Bruntland
Commission as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs” and is often characterized simply as taking care of the
three P’s: people, planet and profits or often known as:Economic, Social, and Environmental.
INTENDED AUDIENCE
The intended audience for this CAP includes the citizens and businesses of Atlantic Beach, the
City of Atlantic Beach itself as an entity, and the community at large including Duval County,
Transportation Planning Organization, JEA, local universities and other assets that support
Atlantic Beach’s quality of life directly and indirectly.
STRUCTURE OF THE COMMUNITY ACTION PLAN
Working with the LEED for Cities framework including former STAR Communities, our city staff,
citizen-based Environmental Stewardship Committee, and the citizens of Atlantic Beach, the
following eight focus areas have been identified as priorities:
Natural Systems & Ecology
Energy & Climate
Quality of Life / Livability
Water
Green Buildings & Infrastructure
Solid Waste
Transportation
Governance, Community Outreach & Education
Each focus area has its own section in the CAP and contains the following information:
Overview & How We Benefit
2050 (or earlier) Goals
Current Status
Performance Metrics
Progress Highlights
Potential Strategies
The CAP is meant to encourage action right away as well as think about and plan long term. This
is why for each focus area there will be education and community outreach, performance
measurement, setting of short and medium term milestones to show progress towards long term
goals, and annual review and reporting. Some actions will take longer than others to complete.
Also, while goals are meant to remain steady, the CAP itself will be a living document that will
continue to capture new strategies, best practices, and resources as they become known to city
staff, ESC and engaged citizens.
It is the goal to annually update the CAP with new information, progress, statistics, etc. and refine
priorities and strategies as the City continues its sustainability and resiliency journey.
Natural Systems & Ecology
OVERVIEW & HOW WE BENEFIT
The nine initiatives in the Natural Systems & Ecology focus area help communities protect and restore the
places that provide resources to support life.This focus area takes an ecosystem services approach and
recognizes the wide range of benefits natural systems provide,such as clean water and air, flood control,
habitat, food,and natural regulating processes affecting climate such as localized cooling.Ecosystem
services also extend to cultural benefits like aesthetic value, human health,and recreation. Here is a
quick list of the nine initiatives and their objectives in this focus area:
•Ecosystem Assessment --To assess existing ecosystem conditions and services provided by
ecosystems, built landscapes, and other open spaces to inform the city development along with
conservation and restoration efforts.
•Green Spaces -To provide accessible green spaces to positively impact physical, mental and
psychological health and well-being of the community while also enhancing the environmental
quality of the city or community.
•Natural Resource Conservation and Restoration -To conserve and restore the natural resources
within the city and community.
•Light Pollution Reduction -To minimize and manage ambient light levels to protect public
health and the integrity of ecological systems and increase the night sky access, improve
nighttime visibility, and reduce the consequences of development for wildlife and people.
•Resiliency Planning, Adaptation & Mitigation --To strengthen the resilience of communities to
climate change risks, natural and man-made hazards, chronic stressors, and extreme events.
•Biodiversity & Invasive Species –To maintain the urban ecosystem habitat at levels that
promote biodiversity and manage or prevent invasive species
•Outdoor Air Quality –To ensure that outdoor air quality is healthy for all segments of the
human population and protects the welfare of the community
•Water in the Environment –To protect and restore the biological,chemical,and hydrological
integrity of water in the natural environment
•Working Lands –To conserve and sustainably manage lands that provide ecosystem services and
raw materials
It is up to our community to demonstrate leadership by making natural resource protection and green
space and implementing strategies that improve the quality of natural resource areas and human
health a priority with concrete goals and milestones to show progress.
2050 (or earlier) GOALS
•Develop and enhance connectivity and walkability between parks and within city
•Ensure that 95% of residential addresses are located within ½ mile of a park or open space.
•Increase and maintain healthy, diverse tree canopy to 40%.*
•Reduce use of harmful chemicals and biocides by 90%
Natural Systems & Ecology
ALIGNMENT WITH SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
3 -Good Health and Well-Being
11 -Sustainable Cities and Communities
13 -Climate Action
15 -Life on Land
17 -Partnerships for the Goals
CROSSOVER WITH OTHER ATLANTIC BEACH PLANS & EFFORT
•Comprehensive Plan
•Parks Master Plan
•Marsh Preserve
•Coastal VRA
•Mayor’s Health & Wellness Task Force
Natural Systems & Ecology
CURRENT STATUS
The state of Atlantic Beach’s parks, green spaces, and natural systems and ecology is good. There is a
high percentage of residents living within ½ mile of a park or open green space. The City has worked
hard to increase connectivity and walkability with parks and throughout the city and has taken several
steps to strengthen protection of its trees and tree canopy. There are still some impaired waterways
within the city that need focus and improvement.
The Atlantic Beach community ranked the care, improvement and expansion of AB’s parks, green
spaces, and natural systems and ecology including the beach, marsh and wetlands, and ICW as the
second highest priority in the 2021-2022 Community Action Plan survey. In addition to the high
priority ranking, many comments and suggestions were shared ranging from more trees to better
water quality. With the goals of increasing, protecting, and maintaining a healthy tree canopy, parks
and green spaces as well as reducing the use of biocides significantly, we need to continue to listen to
the community, educate the community about the value of natural systems and spaces, and continue
to make progress annually and prioritize this focus area.
PERFORMANCE METRICS
Natural Systems & Ecology
PERFORMANCE METRICS Continued
Natural Systems & Ecology
PROGRESS HIGHLIGHTS
To date, the city has implemented several actions to support and improve the natural systems and
ecology of Atlantic Beach. Highlighted efforts include:
•Tree Canopy –The City and ESC have been hard at work to protect trees and expand the tree
canopy. ESC launched a “Verified Tree Trimmer” program. The City has planted more than 500+
trees throughout the city both in right of ways and resident yards using a pre-researched list and free
tree adoption program.
•Chemicals Usage –The City recently banned the use of Round-Up for municipal use and is trying to
educate its citizens to voluntarily stop using Round Up by sharing its negative impacts on human
health, animals, and natural systems.
•Wetland Protection --The City included wetland protection regulation into code.
•Green Infrastructure –The City included multiple types of green infrastructure techniques into its
Parks Master Plan and municipal right of way.
•Stormwater Pollution Prevention –The City adopted a policy to comply with U.S. EPA’s National
Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program for stormwater pollution prevention
from construction and industrial activities and municipal sources.
POTENTIAL STRATEGIES
The following strategies are suggestions from the community through a survey and the City of Atlantic
Beach’s Environmental Stewardship Committee of what the City and community could focus on as
potential next steps to achieving our natural systems and ecology goals. Outreach and education,
measurement of progress, and setting short term and medium term milestones for this focus area will
be performed every year. To see the full accounting of actions proposed, see Appendix XXX.
•Promote and educate about the benefits of trees, tree ordinance, tree planting and pervious
surfaces
•Assess and address how construction practices are negatively affecting trees (e.g., heavy trucks
parking on tree roots reducing lifespan of trees)
•Develop and maintain canopy assessment tools
•Strive for zero net loss of canopy
•Conserve, restore, and maintain the health, quality, and function of AB’s natural systems (marsh,
wetlands, beaches, canopy, green spaces, dunes, parks, waterways, etc.) through regular assessment
and attention.
•Increase the connectivity between habitats needed for threatened species
•Achieve a minimum of 70% of the dwelling units must have a green space within 1/2 -mile (800
meters) walking distance.
•Adopt and/or incentivize best practices for resilient properties (e.g., trees, hardening, elevation, first
floor floodable, raising up houses, etc.)
•Strive to eradicate invasive species by preventing growth and expansion
•Coordinate a Friends of the Park program so those who use the park can have more impact in a park’s
maintenance and care.
Natural Systems & Ecology
Energy & Climate
OVERVIEW & HOW WE BENEFIT
As a coastal barrier island city with a diverse racial and socio -economic population, we must plan
ahead to reduce our vulnerability to environmental, economic and social chronic stressors and acute
shocks. This focus area’s intent is to reduce climate impacts through adaptation and mitigation
efforts and increase resource efficiency. Energy consumption (mostly from residential electricity use
and transportation in AB) causes greenhouse gas emissions, which in turn causes climate change.
While this is a global issue, local governments can impact the sources and sinks within their
jurisdictions. Expanding alternative modes of transportation, improving energy efficiency, eliminating
waste, and increasing vegetation can reduce greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and provide many
benefits to the community. These many benefits include reduced energy, water and waste bills, less
asthma, better indoor and outdoor air quality so less pollution, quieter neighborhoods, cooler
pavements for those precious pet paws, and much more. Here are the main initiatives for this focus
area:
•Power Access, Reliability and Resiliency --To provide safe, secured, reliable, resilient and
equitable access to power.
•Energy & Greenhouse Gas Emissions Performance --To support energy management and move
towards a zero energy and emissions city.
•Energy Efficiency --To improve sectoral energy efficiency in the city and community.
•Greening the Energy Supply --Transition the local energy supply for both transportation and non-
mobile sources toward renewable,less carbon-intensive, and less toxic alternatives
•Renewable Energy --To reduce the environmental and economic harms associated with fossil
fuel energy and reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions by increasing self-supply of renewable energy
and the use of grid-source, renewable energy technologies.
•Low Carbon Economy --To progress towards a low carbon economy by decoupling economic
growth of the city or community from greenhouse gas emissions.
•Grid Harmonization --To improve operational efficiency of the energy system and encourage
consumer participation in energy use optimization.
•Climate Adaptation --Strengthen the resilience of communities to climate change impacts on
built,natural,economic,health,and social systems
•Greenhouse Gas Mitigation --Achieve greenhouse gas emissions reductions throughout the
community
Energy & Climate
2050 (or earlier) GOALS
•Reduce GHG emissions to below two metric tons per capita or 80% below 1990 levels*
•Commit to Under 2°actions and implementation*
•Reduce 20% of overall energy consumption *
•33% of citywide electricity generated by renewable energy and obtain 100% of electricity from
clean, renewable sources city wide*
Energy & Climate
ALIGNMENT WITH SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
3 -Good Health and Well-Being
7 -Affordable and Clean Energy
8 -Decent Work and Economic Growth
9 -Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
11 -Sustainable Cities and Communities
13 -Climate Action
17 -Partnerships for the Goals
CROSSOVER WITH OTHER ATLANTIC BEACH PLANS & EFFORTS
•Comprehensive Plan
•Connectivity Plan
•Parks Master Plan
•Coastal VRA
Energy & Climate
CURRENT STATUS
Currently the City of Atlantic Beach greenhouse gas emissions are approximately 8 metric tons of
carbon dioxide equivalent per year per capita which is fairly typical of a U.S. suburban neighborhood
city. When compared to other cites participating in the LEED for Cities and Communities program,
COAB is on the lower emissions side. The majority of the emissions come from vehicles, natural gas
and electricity with residential electricity use as the highest source of emissions. With the goal of
reducing greenhouse gas emissions to below two metric tons per capita or 80% below 1990 levels by
2050 or earlier, it is important the COAB and its residents accelerate their efforts on energy efficiency
actions, clean energy alternatives in transportation and the built environment and overall water,
materials, and waste resource efficiency. Consistently working on these priorities will create a safer,
healthier, and more sustainable and resilient community.
PERFORMANCE METRICS
In 2019 according to DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), COAB’s GHG
emissions were approximately 8 metric tons per person and in 2021, they were 7.61. In 2020 -2021,
the EERE data measurement and methodology tool moved over to National Renewable Energy
Laboratory (NREL) State and Local Planning for Energy (SLOPE). The following graphs and
visualizations are from both entities:
COAB Annual Energy GHG Emissions 2019 (Source: EERE/SLED)
COAB Annual Energy GHG Emissions 2022 (Source: NREL/SLOPE)
PROGRESS HIGHLIGHTS
To date, the city has implemented several actions to begin to reduce GHG and energy consumption
and increase resource efficiency. Highlighted efforts include:
•Measurement –The City, at a high level, has begun to measure its GHG and energy consumption per
capita, by sector and fuel type, and for its own operations. By understanding its baseline, the City
can prioritize its strategies and direct actions for its own operations and the community at large.
•Assessments --The City has performed sea level rise vulnerability assessment, created a Resiliency
Adaptation Plan and has shared with the public via workshops, presentations and easy access on
website.
•Comprehensive Plan –The City updated its comprehensive plan to include adopting alternative fuel
guidelines and targets for locally owned facilities and vehicles.
•Efficient Street Lighting –The City has upgraded 90%+ of its street and area lights with high
efficiency fixtures with a luminous efficacy of between 102-123.
•Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Stations –The City installed one public electric station at City Hall and
has added EV parking to the draft code update.
•Heat Island Effect –The City has systematically planted 500+ trees over the past few years to help
with its heat island effect.
POTENTIAL STRATEGIES
The following strategies are suggestions from the community through a survey and the City of Atlantic
Beach’s Environmental Stewardship Committee of what the City and community could focus on as
potential next best steps to achieving our energy and climate goals. Outreach and education,
measurement of progress, and setting short term and medium term milestones for this focus area will
be performed every year. our energy and climate goals. To see the full list of actions proposed, see
Appendix XXX.
•Adopt and/or incentivize best practices for resilient properties (e.g., trees, hardening, elevation, first
floor floodable, raising up houses, etc.)
•Become a solar and EV ready community
•Implement specific programs and services that increases energy efficiency, increases renewable
energy adoption, and reduces waste in the community
•Work with JEA on dynamic pricing for metered users to motivate load shifting
•Adopt (or be committed to) an Interconnection and Net metering policy.
•Maintain 100% access, reliability and resiliency of power to AB
•Install and maintain resilience hubs in most needed areas of AB
•Implement and incentivize a voluntary benchmarking and green building challenge for city,
residential and commercial buildings.
•Work with JEA on dynamic pricing for metered users to motivate load shifting and a dopt (or be
committed to) an Interconnection and Net metering policy.
•Consider best practices for sustainable principles into neighborhood planning
Energy & Climate
Quality of Life & Livability
OVERVIEW & HOW WE BENEFIT
Quality of Life and Livability ranked the highest in priorities for the City of Atlantic Beach to focus on in the
2021-2022 Community Action Plan survey. Local government and its residents both play a critical role in
protecting and enhancing the three pillars of sustainability: environment, economy and social equity, to
increase its ability to consistently thrive over time. This focus area covers an array of critical topics, including
community and human health, education, housing, economic conditions, civil rights, and safety. The education
metrics focus on literacy and workforce readiness and the equitability metrics consider the affordability of
housing and distribution of wealth. The prosperity metrics reflect economic performance and opportunities for
upward mobility. Finally, the health and safety metrics look at susceptibility to outdoor air pollution and the
impact of violence. Taken together, these metrics reflect the socioeconomic condition of the population living
within the jurisdiction and its overall ability to endure chronic and acute stressors and ultimately improve and
thrive as a community. The many initiatives for this focus area include:
•Demographic Assessment --To describe the population demographics and housing characteristics of the
area.
•Quality of Life Performance --To track and measure metrics related to elevating the living standards of
all people.
•Trend Improvements --To demonstrate an improvement over time in key metrics pertaining to a
person’s quality of life.
•Distributional Equity --To foster equitable economic prosperity and expand access to community
services to all.
•Environmental Justice --To address conditions that may lead to neighborhoods or populations being
overburdened by environmental pollutants.
•Housing and Transportation Affordability --To provide an adequate and diverse supply of location-
efficient and affordable housing options for all.
•Civic and Community Engagement --To promote a cohesive, and socially connected community and
facilitate their participation in local decision-making.
•Civil and Human Rights --To uphold a process that ensures the civil and human rights of all people is
fundamental
•Ambient Noise & Light --Minimize and manage ambient noise and light levels to protect public
health and the integrity of ecological systems
•Arts & Culture --Provide a broad range of arts and cultural resources and activities that encourage
community member participation,creative self-expression,and community revitalization
•Historic Preservation --Preserve and reuse historic structures and sites to retain local,regional,and
national history and heritage,and reinforce community character
•Social & Cultural Diversity --Celebrate, respect,and represent the diverse social and cultural
backgrounds of the community and its members
•Aging in the Community --Encourage active aging by optimizing opportunities for health,participation,and
security in order to enhance quality of life as people age
•Active Living --Enable adults and kids to maintain healthy,active lifestyles by integrating physical activity
into their daily routines
•Community Health --Achieve positive health outcomes and minimize health risk factors associated
with behaviors and poor indoor air quality in schools and homes
•Food Access & Nutrition --Ensure that adults and children of all income levels have physical and
economic access to fresh and healthful food and have opportunities to learn about nutritious eating and
food safety
Quality of Life & Livability
2050 (or earlier) GOALS
•Demonstrate an annual improving trend achievement for the stated thresholds and metrics (LEED
QOL data , safe community, housing & transportation affordability, food access & nutrition,
community health, ambient noise & light, active living, aging in the community, environmental
justice, arts & culture, historic preservation, social & cultural diversity)
ALIGNMENT WITH SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
1 -No Poverty
2 -Zero Hunger
3 -Good Health and Well-Being
10 -Reduced Inequalities
11 -Sustainable Cities and Communities
13 -Climate Action
17 -Partnerships for the Goals
CROSSOVER WITH OTHER ATLANTIC BEACH PLANS & EFFORTS
•Comprehensive Plan
•Connectivity Plan
•Parks Master Plan
•Mayor’s Health & Wellness Task Force
Quality of Life & Livability
CURRENT STATUS
City of Atlantic Beach quality of life metrics are pretty high currently with a LEED for Cities score of 86
out of 100 which is higher than the U.S. and global average. This makes sense as a fairly affluent,
active lifestyle beach community. In the 2021 -2022 Community Action Plan survey, there were a lot of
comments and suggestions on the desire to continue to improve AB’s quality of life and suggestions
on how to increase livability. With the goal of annually improving trend achievement towards the
stated thresholds and with metrics in each quality of life subcategory, we need to continually improve
how we accurately gather and measure data for metrics and how we inclusively engage all
stakeholders in the community. Consistent high quality accurate data and methodology will lead to
identifying and addressing where the City can improve it performance for all its residents.
PERFORMANCE METRICS
The following graphs are from the LEED for Cities & Communities Arc platform.
Quality of Life & Livability
PERFORMANCE METRICS Continued
Quality of Life & Livability
PROGRESS HIGHLIGHTS
To date, the city has implemented several actions to improve the quality of life and livability through
the lens of this SRCAP starting in 2019. Highlighted efforts include:
•Measurement –The City for the first time measured key metrics to better understand its quality of
life of all its citizens. Through this process, it learned that some metrics may need to be adjusted to
better fit AB’s dynamics (e.g., AB has very little violent crime so it might be more useful to measure
crimes that the community is most worried about and wants to be addressed).
•Environmental Justice --The City is actively working on cleaning up trash from sites not previously
known as dumping sites as well as reducing smell from wastewater plant.
•Comprehensive Plan –The City has included higher density of residential units closer to transit hubs
with an aim for Compact, Mixed Use and Transit Oriented Developments in its comprehensive plan
to help address the need for affordable housing.
•Civic and Community Engagement –Through its LEED for Cities and Communities v4.1 certification
process, the City realized that it did not know the diversity of its citizen boards, committees and
commission and that it could not quantifiably state that its gender, racial and ethnicity of its
leadership reflected its community. As a recognized best practice, the City rectified this data gap by
asking for this information on the application forms and paperwork for all governance and advisory
bodies
•Civil and Human Rights –The City passed a Human Rights Ordinance and updated its parental leave
policy.
POTENTIAL STRATEGIES
The following strategies are suggestions from the community through a survey and the City of Atlantic
Beach’s Environmental Stewardship Committee of what the City and community could focus on as
potential next steps to achieving our quality of life and livability goals. Outreach and education,
measurement of progress, and setting short term and medium term milestones for this focus area will
be performed every year. To see the full list of actions proposed, see Appendix XXX.
•Achieve a Livability Index score of 60 or greater
•Set standards and understand effects of excessive exposure and mitigation techniques for
ambient noise and ambient light
•Continue to install sidewalks, safe and widened walkways and appropriate lighting in areas most
needed
•Identify the priority environmental justice conditions and make plan to address
•Outdoor exercise equipment installed in city parks
•Enhance public spaces, including public rights of way, roadsides, City buildings, beach accesses and
other publicly held properties with art and carefully maintained landscape design and plantings
•Incentivize and advocate for use of native plants and beautification of private and commercial spaces
•Reduce the number and appearance of degraded or blighted properties
•Incorporate a framework of health & wellness for individuals and community health in AB’s overall
approach to QOL and livability (e.g., blue zone work)
•Develop a workforce / attainable housing policy
Quality of Life & Livability
Water
OVERVIEW & HOW WE BENEFIT
Water is the lifeline of any city. However, equity and access have been a major challenge in many
cities. Water demand has been constantly increasing, stressing freshwater reserves and increasing the
cost of extraction, treatment and distribution. This focus area addresses water at multiple levels –
meeting demand, maintaining water quality, reducing water losses, capturing stormwater, and
managing urban floods.
Water Access and Quality requires the implementation of policies and infrastructure for the equitable
supply of clean and safe water to all members of society, along with the treatment of wastewater and
stormwater before it is released into the environment. Water Performance requires Atlantic Beach to
track and monitor per-capita water consumption in the domestic sector which we already started to
do in 2019. Integrated Water Management focuses on reduced freshwater consumption and
encourages the shift to a net zero water city. Stormwater Management focuses on strategies to
capture the maximum possible quantity of rainwater to reduce runoff volume, prevent erosion and
flooding, as well as recharge groundwater. These efforts will compliment Atlantic Beach’s resiliency
efforts. Smart Water Systems encourages Atlantic Beach to improve operational efficiency, reduction
in water losses, and monitoring of water flow within the city through the use of smart technologies
such as smart meters.
2050 (or earlier) GOALS
•Meet or exceed NPDWR limits for 90 known contaminants and add status of water withdrawal areas
in annual report
•Reduce gross potable water consumption per capita by 40% including on lawns.
•Make 100% of COAB waterways fishable and swimmable
•Ensure COAB has sufficient water storage and mitigates inland flooding during extreme weather
events.
•No treated or non-point source pollution in ICW or ocean by 2030; Meet or exceed whichever is
more stringent the CWA NPDES permit program or local/state equivalent for 100% of wastewater
generated and the water quality parameter thresholds
ALIGNMENT WITH SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
3 -Good Health and Well-Being
6 -Clean Water and Sanitation
11 -Sustainable Cities and Communities
12 -Responsible Consumption and Production
13 -Climate Action
14 -Life Below Water
17 -Partnerships for the Goals
CROSSOVER WITH OTHER ATLANTIC BEACH PLANS & EFFORTS
•Comprehensive Plan
•Coastal VRA
Water
CURRENT STATUS
Currently the per capita water use in Atlantic Beach is 77 gallons per day or 28,105 gallons a year.
According to the St. Johns Water Management District 2021 Annual Report , the average for the region
is 115 gallons/per person and from NEEF, it is 87 gallons per person on average for the whole state of
Florida. Consumption has been going down for a few reasons including increased use of reclaimed
water, conservation measures, population changes, economic factors, rainfall and more yet there is
more work to be done. Residents still use between 40 -50% of there potable public water supply on
their yards and could easily reduce indoor water use by 20-30 gallons per day through behavior and
water saving fixtures. In terms of wastewater and stormwater, the City has made progress yet also has
some more work to do to reach the goals set and/or federal and state deadlines. For instance, by 2030
the City will not be allowed to release any treated and/or non-treated water into the ICW and it still
has some waterbodies that are impaired and/or not safe to fish or swim in. With quality, conservation,
and usability goals for potable water and water in our environment, it is vital to continue to improve
our measurement of success metrics, education of the community and improve our strategies and
actions each year so we can maintain clean and affordable drinkable water and healthy waterways.
PERFORMANCE METRICS
Here are a few graphs and data points that share the water consumption picture of Atlantic Beach
and its region.
Water
Source: COAB Arc score for LEED for Cities & Communities v4.1 certification
Source: SJRWMD 2021 Annual Report
PERFORMANCE METRICS Continued
PROGRESS HIGHLIGHTS
To date, the city has implemented several actions to improve its water efficiency, quality and
stormwater management. Highlighted efforts include:
•Reclaimed Water –Any new development in or around AB is encouraged to use reclaimed water for
landscape irrigation. The Atlantic Beach Country Club Golf Course is a good example of this effort.
•Education –Through its website, the City posts water conservation and restrictions to inform its
citizens about specific limitations and best practices.
Water
Source: SJRWMD 2021 Annual Report; COAB has a consumptive use permit from FL DEP and SJRWMD
Water
POTENTIAL STRATEGIES
The following strategies are suggestions from the community through a survey and the City of Atlantic
Beach’s Environmental Stewardship Committee of what the City and community could focus on as
potential next best steps to achieving our water goals. Outreach and education, measurement of
progress, and setting short term and medium term milestones for this focus area will be performed
every year. To see the full list of actions proposed, see Appendix XXX.
Adopt a community wide specific water management plan to improve water efficiency and
reductions by residential and commercial sectors
Increase amount of reclaimed water access and use in AB
Create and maintain a dynamic map of flooding incidences to which both staff and citizens can
contribute
Improve the operational efficiency of the water management systems through use of smart
technology.
Engage in restoring and maintaining critical water bodies and the buffer zones that protect those
water bodies
Improve use of landscape and rainwater harvesting tools to capture rainwater for filtration or
reuse.
Continue to provide and improve equitable access to healthy drinking water and sanitation
services.
Review best practices that meet multiple objectives regarding water runoff and on site retention ,
pervious and impervious surfaces, tree retention, beautification, etc.
Green Building & Infrastructure
OVERVIEW & HOW WE BENEFIT
Buildings impact resource consumption, ecological systems, human health and well -being and
generate about 30% of greenhouse gas emissions from a city. Hence, green building practices are an
essential component of a city’s sustainability strategy and they are critical to minimizing environmental
impacts and ensuring efficient use of environmental resources.Furthermore, since green building
practices can enhance climate resiliency, these spaces will be better equipped to withstand the
potential impacts of global climate change. This focus area encourages the design, construction, and
retrofit of buildings, parks, open spaces and landscapes using green practices. In this way Atlantic
Beach will conserve energy and water, minimize waste, and create healthy and resilient environments
for businesses, residents and visitors. The implementation of green building practices will also keep
utility and maintenance costs down, benefitting low-income residents and small businesses.
Green infrastructure is also an integral component of a sustainable community. It can help
communities protect the environment and human health while providing other social and economic
benefits. In addition, green infrastructure and sustainable community approaches can help local
governments that are struggling to pay for needed upgrades to stormwater and wastewater
infrastructure. Benefits can include improved water quality, reduced municipal water use. • and flood
risk mitigation; reduced ozone and pollution; increased recreation space and wildlife habitat; cost
savings, increased property values, and jobs.
2050 (or earlier) GOALS
•Ensure 100% of new buildings meet green building and resiliency standards (GB&R).*
•Ensure 100% of existing buildings are educated about GB&R standards and benefits and at
least 50% actively striving to meet standards*
•Reduce total electricity consumption by 20%*
ALIGNMENT WITH SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
•3 -Good Health and Well-Being
•8 -Decent Work and Economic Growth
•10 -Reduced Inequalities
•11 -Sustainable Cities and Communities
•12 -Responsible Consumption and Production
•13 -Climate Action
•17 -Partnerships for the Goals
CROSSOVER WITH OTHER ATLANTIC BEACH PLANS & EFFORTS
•Comprehensive Plan
•Connectivity Plan
•Parks Master Plan
•Coastal VRA
Green Building & Infrastructure
CURRENT STATUS
The community and City of Atlantic Beach has made progress on considering, encouraging and
installing some large and small green infrastructure projects. Thanks to the Coastal Vulnerability
Assessment and Resilience Adaptation Plan, AB is aware of its most low lying and vulnerable areas and
critical facilities. This helps prioritize capital investment projects and the use of green infrastructure
strategies where possible.
Less is known about the status of holistic green building throughout AB. We learned through the LEED
of Cities certification process that in terms of energy usage, the average annual kWh residential usage
is 16,640 kWh which is almost 3,000 kWh more than the average Florida residential home. In terms of
water usage, the average annual per capita is 28,226 gallons or 77.33 gallons per person per day. This
is significantly better than the average SJRWMD annual per capita of 41,975 gallons or 115 gallons per
person per day. Besides energy and water usage, we do not know much about the indoor
environmental quality, materials and resources, resilience measures and/or how sustainable the
residential site functions with trees, native plants, chemicals, etc. To our knowledge there is no 3 rd
party certified green building in AB yet several have used ICF, SIPs, solar, and other measures.
PERFORMANCE METRICS
Green Building & Infrastructure
0
10000
20000
30000
40000
50000
60000
70000
80000
Sep-19 Oct-19 Nov-19 Dec-19 Jan-20 Feb-20 Mar-20 Apr-20 May-20 Jun-20 Jul-20 Aug-20 Sep-20
COAB Public Buildings Energy Usage (kWh)
Sep 2019 –Sep 2020
Public Works Building Jordan Park Community Center
Gail Baker Community Center Adele Grage Community Center
City Hall Public Safety Building
Utilities Office Building Total Energy Usage (kwh)
PROGRESS HIGHLIGHTS
This past year there was more focus given to asking about the energy performance of our municipal
buildings and a direct request and assessment for how to make the Public Works building more energy
efficient. How to make the Life Guard Station more environmentally friendly was also brought up a
few times.
Many small green infrastructure projects from pervious pavements, bioretention and bioswales to rain
gardens, more trees and greener streets and parking lots have been implemented recently on
residential, commercial and public property.
Green Building & Infrastructure
POTENTIAL STRATEGIES
The following strategies are suggestions from the community through a survey and the City of Atlantic
Beach’s Environmental Stewardship Committee of what the City and community could focus on as
potential next best steps to achieving our green building and infrastructure goals. Outreach and
education, measurement of progress, and setting short term and medium term milestones for this
focus area will be performed every year. To see the full list of actions proposed, see Appendix XXX.
Incentivize smaller home sustainable and resilient construction and renovation and consider
accessory dwelling units and/or mother in law suites as a legal alternative residential dwelling in
the city if lot size and parking can accommodate
Enact a municipal building performance disclosure program
Adopt policy for all new construction undertaken by the city government to achieve a green
building certification level with resiliency best practices.
Incentivize and make it easy for all private sector buildings to obtain a level or higher green
building certification, implement resilient best practices and measure annual performance.
Consider requiring certification with resilient best practices for all buildings 5000 square feet and
above.
Pass PACE legislation
Assess green infrastructure functionality
Create a green infrastructure policy and incentives for both public and private sectors.
Incentivize the use of pervious surfaces to reduce stormwater runoff
Incentivize permeable and recycled concrete installation
Pilot floating solar array in retention pond
Keep the public appraised of city and homeowner insurance issues and availability
Solid Waste
OVERVIEW & HOW WE BENEFIT
Cities are large aggregators and consumers of materials and nutrients, accounting for the highest
natural resource consumption affecting the environment and human health. The intent behind this
focus area is to eliminate waste from mainstream operations and utilize it as a resource. Cities with
their high concentration of resources, capital, data and skills over a small geographic territory, provide
opportunities to uniquely drive a transition from a linear to a circular economy
This section addresses adequate waste management infrastructure by proper estimation of waste
generation and diversion, prepare the city and community to transition from a linear to a circular
economy, and cover strategies adopted to improve operational efficiency of the waste management
system. The objectives/initiatives for this focus area include:
•Waste Performance
•Special Waste Streams Management
•Responsible Sourcing for Infrastructure
•Material Recovery
•Smart Waste Management Systems
2050 (or earlier) GOALS
•Reduce MSW generated by 30%
•Increase MSW diverted from landfill by 30%
•Actively work at becoming a “zero waste” community reporting action items and lessons learned in
annual report
ALIGNMENT WITH SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
3 -Good Health and Well-Being
9 -Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
11 -Sustainable Cities and Communities
12 -Responsible Consumption and Production
13 -Climate Action
17 -Partnerships for the Goals
CROSSOVER WITH OTHER ATLANTIC BEACH PLANS & EFFORTS
•Parks Master Plan
Solid Waste
CURRENT STATUS
According to 2020 data, AB’s waste diversion rate is approximately 26%. This means that through
rethinking what we buy, reusing items, composting, and recycling, we are preventing 26% of our total
waste generated from going to the landfill. The US national diversion rate is approximately 32.1%
(2018 data).
There are many strategies a community can take to improve its waste diversion (from landfill) rate
including education, access to composting sites and ways to recycle non -mainstream items (e.g.,
electronics), and incentives/disincentives (e.g., recycling is free but trash has a fee by weight).
PERFORMANCE METRICS
Diversion rate is calculated with the following formula:
Solid Waste
PROGRESS HIGHLIGHTS
The City of Atlantic Beach was the only City in Duval County that had continuous, uninterrupted trash
and recycling pick up during COVID. This was a big success during a time when service and the
commodity market had significant challenges.
The City passed a Styrofoam ban for all city activities and is also looking at reducing single use plastic.
The City runs a successful beach litter basket program to reduce trash on the beach.
There is also a lot of interest in composting and gardening which can directly reduce waste.
Solid Waste
POTENTIAL STRATEGIES
The following strategies are suggestions from the community through a survey and the City of Atlantic
Beach’s Environmental Stewardship Committee of what the City and community could focus on as
potential next best steps to achieving our solid waste goals. Outreach and education, measurement of
progress, and setting short term and medium term milestones for this focus area will be performed
every year. To see the full list of actions proposed, see Appendix XXX.
•Build/renovate a green and resilient certified community composting, special waste recycling,
community gardening and education center (crossover)
•Increase number of public recycling and composting bins
•Partner with local restaurants to improve food re-distribution and reduce food and solid waste
•Achieve a solid waste recycling rate of 40% or greater
•Develop or participate in a regional coalition that enhances the community’s ability to address waste
management targets
•Implement communitywide incentives and/or enforce regulations ensuring that residents and
businesses are working toward community waste reductions targets
•Operate at least 3 specific waste management programs for critical waste stream types found in the
community, such as: organic waste, hazardous waste, electronic waste, and construction and
demolition waste
•Host semi-annual collection site to collect difficult to recycle, hazardous, and electronic waste items
•Offer community clean ups (after big events such as July 4, Memorial Day, etc) to build community
alliance while helping our city environment.
•Start a home composting recognition program to increase landfill diversion rate and community
engagement.
•Collect and re-use unused paint for local facade facelifts
Transportation & Land Use
OVERVIEW & HOW WE BENEFIT
The transportation sector is responsible for a quarter of energy-related greenhouse gas (GHG)
emissions worldwide. Land use is the key driver of mobility in a city, and rapid urbanization has
disrupted land use patterns, resulting in urban sprawl and increased dependency on personal,
motorized vehicles. This focus area encourages Atlantic Beach to adopt an integrated approach
towards urban planning through mixed-use development, efficient transportation, better connectivity
and engagement with stakeholders.
The seven subcategories and strategies that ask Atlantic Beach to measure the total vehicle miles
travelled by their addresses, addresses land use and encourages compact development and access to
diverse uses which discourages urban sprawl and encourages people to walk or bike thereby improving
public health. There is also a focus on use of different types of transportation modes available in a city
and offers strategies for comfort and safety of commuters and addresses intermodal connectivity for
easy access and transition from one mode of transport to another. Alternative Fuel Vehicles
encourages a shift to alternative fuel vehicles by providing infrastructure such as charging stations for
electric vehicles and through policies and incentives. Smart Mobility and Transportation Policy intends
to promote efficiency in operation of transport systems, and behavior change, thereby reducing
environmental impacts Finally, there is also an attempt to preserve and revive the urban fabric of a
city by promoting engagement, community development and social and mental wellbeing as well as
encourages preservation of historic structures and sites and focuses on growth and redevelopment for
infill and other priority locations.
2050 (or earlier) GOALS
•Increase number of historic homes/buildings, number of lots that retain trees (not denuded due to
construction), and renovate versus razing by 25%
•Reduce total VMT and emissions from vehicles by 20% and achieve majority of trips made by foot,
bike, carpooling, or transit.
•Achieve and maintain a Gold ranking for the League of American Bicyclists Bicycle Friendly
Community Score.
•Eliminate pedestrian and bike fatalities.
•Attain a “good” rating on the Air Quality Index (AQI) 365 days/year
ALIGNMENT WITH SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
3 -Good Health and Well-Being
8 -Decent Work and Economic Growth
9 -Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
10 -Reduced Inequalities
11 -Sustainable Cities and Communities
13 -Climate Action
17 -Partnerships for the Goals
CROSSOVER WITH OTHER ATLANTIC BEACH PLANS & EFFORTS
•Comprehensive Plan
•Connectivity Plan
•Parks Master Plan
Transportation & Land Use
CURRENT STATUS
Most of AB’s transportation is for work and short trips for errands. The total vehicle miles traveled in
2020 was approximately 156,545 on 11 of our main roads which equates to about 11.12 VMT per
person. There is a growth in golf carts, electric micro-mobility, and electric vehicles use and adoption.
Traffic and idling patterns could be improved upon according to feedback in the CAP survey.
For land use, there is a lot of redevelopment happening given that AB is a near fully -developed
municipality where the predominant land use is residential consisting of stable and well -established
neighborhoods. Lots are being overdeveloped to the full lot line allowed currently by zoning codes
resulting in many projects choosing to remove trees that are benefiting neighbors and the community
at large.
PERFORMANCE METRICS
Data taken from 2020 FDOT traffic data: https://tdaappsprod.dot.state.fl.us/fto/
Transportation & Land Use
PROGRESS HIGHLIGHTS
The City has diligently been working on parking issues and keeping all forms of transportation safe.
Added sidewalks through complete streets plan has helped increase pedestrian and bicycle
opportunities.
The City worked hard on its pervious impervious ratio ordinance. It increased the ability for each lot to
percolate more storm and rain water but has had some unintended consequences as well such as
more on street parking due to single car driveways to allow more house square footage and swales
that may have replaced some trees
Transportation & Land Use
NEW STRATEGIES
The following strategies were prioritized by the community and City staff as the next best steps to
achieving our transportation and land use goals. To see the full list of actions proposed, see Appendix
XXX.
•Transition City fleet vehicles to zero emission
•Improve infrastructure and amenities for bikers and pedestrians and partner with community
organizations to deliver bike and pedestrian safety education.
•Improve transit connections to employment and activity centers from underserved areas and
consider car-sharing programs to low-income residents using various tools.
•Study the feasibility of a regional congestion fee for travel during peak hours.
•Limit and/or discourage idling engines.
•Install necessary infrastructure to support the use of EVs and alternative fuel vehicles consider solar
for the EV chargers
•Increase mass transit adoption and improve micro-mobility
•Create a recognition program for historical buildings, trees, structures, and features to retain
character of AB, it’s eclectic nature, and honoring history.
•Demonstrate a measurable reduction in vulnerability and/or increase in resiliency to 3 Community
wide risks (e.g., flooding, heat, tornados, hurricanes) and 1 at -risk population group (e.g., mobile
home)
•Assess tools to address overdevelopment of lots by looking at zoning codes and how considering the
value of “communal” trees on private property that provide co -benefits to neighbors and the
community at large.
Governance, Community Outreach & Education
OVERVIEW & HOW WE BENEFIT
With good organizational excellence, governance, community outreach and education, and
communications, a city can elevate achievement and success rates across multiple goals and
objectives. With the City leading by example, committing to a transparent process, data and an annual
review and progress update of this plan, as well as continuing to improve measurement and actively
listening, learning, and engaging the community. The initiatives of this focus are include:
•Good Governance & Oversight
•Innovation
•Community Engagement
•Education
•Leadership Commitments
2050 (or earlier) GOALS
•Improve measurement, performance, and reporting year over year and share results in annual
report for both city and community wide
•Achieve and maintain best quality bond rating
•Continue to grow COAB sustainability and resiliency leadership commitments (one per year/multi-
year)
•Achieve 90% engagement by COAB residents with this plan
•Designate a CSRO/Office and add sustainability and resiliency to employee’s workplan and
performance metrics (2025)
•Uphold a process that ensures the civil and human rights of all people is fundamental
ALIGNMENT OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
11 -Sustainable Cities and Communities
16 –Peace, Justice & Strong Institutions
17 -Partnerships for the Goals
CROSSOVER WITH OTHER ATLANTIC BEACH PLANS & EFFORTS
•Comprehensive Plan
•Parks Master Plan
Governance, Community Outreach & Education
CURRENT STATUS
The current status of sustainability and resilience governance, community outreach and education is
good yet, like with every city, there is room for improvement. From the Community Action Plan
survey, we learned that the AB community wants more outreach and education about the topics in this
plan. With residents busy and distracted by many sources of information, we must get creative and be
persistent on how we engage and inspire behavior change.
PERFORMANCE METRICS
Below are a few results from the CAP survey that conclude that citizens for the most part trust the
City to listen, they don’t know much about what the city is doing in terms of resiliency planning or
sustainability, many want to be involved more and offered their email, and many (73% of
respondents) take some sort of environmentally friendly action in the home or individually.
Governance, Community Outreach & Education
PERFORMANCE METRICS Continued
Governance, Community Outreach & Education
PROGRESS HIGHLIGHTS
The City and ESC’s Outreach Committee has been hard at work educating and engaging the community
through programs like the beach litter basket and tree trimmer verified program to “Call Before you
Cut” and welcome packet initiatives. Both are also very active on social media pushing out
educational information that is useful to residents.
POTENTIAL STRATEGIES
The following strategies are suggestions from the community through a survey and the City of Atlantic
Beach’s Environmental Stewardship Committee of what the City and community could focus on as
potential next best steps to achieving our governance, community outreach and education goals.
Outreach and education, measurement of progress, and setting short term and medium term
milestones for this focus area will be performed every year. To see the full list of actions proposed, see
Appendix XXX.
•Review and report out on status and progress of CAP annually
•Improve measurement, performance and tracking of each focus area’s metrics annually
•Set short and medium term milestone targets for each focus area to show progress toward long
term goals
•Grow number of people interested and engaged in making AB more sustainable and resilient
through partnerships, high touch and high tech outreach tactics, identifying local and regional like -
minded assets, inviting participation by Subject Matter Experts, attracting volunteers, and starting an
AB Sustainability & Resiliency Steward and Ambassador program
•Learn and implement best practices and innovations from other local governments, private sector,
nonprofits, and academia
•Demonstrate cohesive and socially connected community by achieving diversity in selection and
appointment to citizen committees and boards (e.g., represent the makeup of the population)
•Continue to commit to leadership commitments aligned to plan (e.g., Monarch Butterfly Pledge; Ban
on Glycophosphate; Under 2 Degrees MOU)
•Achieve a Best Quality or High Quality bond rating with 1 or more of the 3 major rating agencies
•Start a recognition program that recognizes positive behavior through yard signs and annual awards
program (e.g., green certified business/home, NWF certified yard; saved a tree, highest diverter, etc.)
•Create a centralized virtual space and physical local sustainability / composting / recycling /
gardening center with educational programming so residents and businesses know where to go to
learn about and engage in sustainability and resiliency efforts. Through this space, center, staff and
ESC, create an education and outreach campaign to engage residents and businesses in
sustainability, resiliency and climate change related impacts that include each focus area. Topics
should include but are not limited to:
•Care, protection and maintenance of trees and tree canopy
•Energy, transportation, waste and water efficiency programs
•Sea level rise vulnerability,resiliency,adaptation, and mitigation
•Extreme weather events
•Chronic stressors that affect resiliency of the community
•Changes in the ecological distribution of flora and fauna
Governance, Community Outreach & Education
APPENDIX
•Glossary of terms
•Sustainable Development Goals Alignment
•Focus Area Goals, Indicators and Baselines
•Sources & Resources
•List of proposed action items
•Community survey results