St. Pete Councilwoman Brandi Gabbard visits D.C. to talk climate resilience

St. Petersburg City Council member Brandi Gabbard is visiting Washington D.C. this week as part of a discussion on exploring the climate risks facing the U.S. real estate sector.

Titled “Building Climate Resilience in the Real Estate Sector,” the forum Tuesday afternoon is sponsored by the Environmental and Energy Study Institute and Citizens Climate Lobby.

Also featured in the talk are St. Petersburg Democratic Rep. Charlie Crist and New York Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin.

Gabbard is well versed on the issue of flood insurance, a vital issue for Pinellas residents.

A realtor for more than 12 years in Pinellas County, Gabbard served last year as the vice chair of the National Association of Realtors Insurance Committee. She also served on the St. Petersburg Program for Public Information (PPI), a task force to track outreach projects and create a message to educate the public about flood hazards, flood insurance, proper building and floodplain functions.

Set to lapse in three weeks, the National Flood Insurance Program federal authorization is now $20 billion in debt, thanks, in part, to a brutal 2017 hurricane season, which saw significant storms barrel through Florida, Texas, Louisiana and the U.S. territories of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.