Gov. Ron DeSantis has awarded the City of Sarasota $10.4 million in funding to help mitigate climate change. The money, which is awarded through the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity's Rebuild Florida Mitigation General Infrastructure Program, will be used to make improvements at Bay Park, the $150 million-plus project that aims to transform 53 acres of city-owned land along the Sarasota bayfront into a public park.

Projects funded through the grant will include water quality improvements to Hog’s Creek to restore the natural stream, mitigate red tide and enhance fish quality; enhancing the elevation of Van Wezel Way by creating a flood barrier and allow emergency personnel to reach citizens in the event of a storm; and major shoreline improvements, including a stepped floodwall and resilient rock revetment, to create a natural shoreline and create storm and flood protection for the park and its surrounding communities. These projects will enhance resiliency of the park and surrounding areas against storm damage and mitigate damage that could be caused by a major storm impacting the Sarasota coast.