“With the appointment of Eddy Bouza as Florida’s new chief resilience officer, Governor DeSantis continues to demonstrate strong leadership in addressing the growing risks of flooding. The chief resilience officer serves a crucial role in protecting Florida's economy and communities, and I’m thrilled to see Eddy Bouza, who has dedicated his career to supporting communities through the Resilient Florida Program, take on this role. This leadership role, paired with significant investments through the Resilient Florida Grant Program, positions the state to continue to lead on resilience and ensure communities are better prepared for the future. We congratulate the Governor on this important appointment and applaud the state’s continued investment in protecting Florida’s communities.” – Kate Wesner, Florida Director, American Flood Coalition. 

“Bonefish and Tarpon Trust applauds the ongoing efforts of Governor DeSantis and the Florida Legislature to ensure that Florida is resilient for our people, communities, natural resources and fisheries. The Governor's appointment of Eddy Bouza to be the next chief resilience officer builds upon that commitment and secures Florida’s position as a leader in impactful resiliency response.” – Jim McDuffie, President and CEO, Bonefish and Tarpon Trust.  

“The Environmental Defense Fund applauds Governor DeSantis’ appointment of Eddy Bouza as Florida’s chief resilience officer. As Florida’s Resilient Grant Trust enters its fifth year, Bouza’s leadership and experience will be essential to operationalize nature-based resilience solutions and scale critical efforts to protect Florida’s families and businesses from the risks of flooding and hurricanes.”– Dawn Shirreffs, Florida Director, Environmental Defense Fund. 

“On behalf of the city of St. Augustine, we are very excited to welcome Eddy Bouza as the state of Florida’s next chief resilience officer. The city of St. Augustine has worked with Eddy and his team through the Resilience Florida Program over the past four years in advancing the needs and advocating the urgency for resilience efforts for the state of Florida. We look forward to continued collaboration with Eddy and his team in his new role. Having a state-appointed chief resilience officer is a testament to the state’s continued commitment to resilience, support for our communities and leadership in this critical area – we are proud to partner with the state chief resilience officer to advance resilience planning, programs and projects that protect our state.” – Jessica Beach, Chief Resilience Officer, City of St. Augustine.  

“The Florida Shore & Beach Preservation Association is thrilled at the appointment of Eddy Bouza as Florida’s next chief resilience officer. Having worked closely with Eddy in the Resilient Florida Program, we know he brings a proven track record of collaborative leadership and a deep understanding of the challenges facing Florida’s coasts. As the next chief resilience officer, his commitment to long-term resilience planning will be instrumental to protecting our shores, communities and natural resources for generations. We look forward to our continued collaboration to advance Florida’s beach and coastal resilience strategies.” – Pepper Uchino, President, Florida Shore & Beach Preservation Association. 

The Resilient Florida Program provides a strategic, statewide approach to fortifying Florida’s community infrastructure against the impacts of hurricanes, flooding and severe weather, focusing on protecting infrastructure, transportation corridors, emergency services and natural resources. In addition to investments in physical infrastructure, the program also prioritizes coastal management solutions, including the use of hardened shorelines, wetland restoration and vegetative barriers, which also serve as invaluable natural defenses against storm surge and flooding.