Rooted in Resilience

Project Overview

The Rooted in Resilience project launched in March 2019 to engage select middle and high school students in Cedar Key. With the assistance of their teachers, community members, and university researchers, the students are profiling six historic buildings in Cedar Key, and they will share what they learn through several short videos and a website. These communications products will include the building owners’ responses to storms in the past, present, and future, and the students’ perspectives about their community. The information may inspire Cedar Key leaders and citizens to continue the tradition of resilience in old and new ways, as well as serve as an exemplar for other communities to follow.

The project is a partnership between the City of Cedar Key, the University of Florida, the Cedar Key Historical Society & Museum, and Cedar Key School, with funding from the Florida Division of Historical Resources. The participating students are in the Junior and Senior Beta Clubs.

Historic Buildings Profiled

The six historic buildings being profiled are the following, due to the generous time and information given by the building’s owners and residents:

Digital Flood Vulnerability Project

Rooted in Resilience is part of a one-year project, Digital Flood Vulnerability Assessment, led by Marty Hylton, Director of the UF Historic Preservation and Envision Heritage programs. The larger project is collecting 3-D digital data (via laser scanning) and updating descriptive information about buildings in Cedar Key’s historic district. The project is also engaging the public around topics of historic preservation, natural hazards, projected sea level changes, and adaptation strategies for building and community resilience.

Final Public Presentation and Student Take-Aways

The students’ videos and website will be shown at the larger project’s final public presentation in Cedar Key (Tuesday May 14 at 5:30pm, Cedar Key Library), as well as ongoing city, school, and museum promotions.

Through the project, the students are learning advanced subjects, such as historic preservation, natural hazards, and community planning, and skills, including community-based research, video and website direction, mapping technology, and teamwork. The students will be able to add the videos and website to their educational portfolios, and the voluntary project also counts as community service.

Students and Ms. Louise at Cedar Key United Methodist Church

Students profiling Drummond Community Bank

Students researching Cedar Key City Hall

Rooted in Resilience students, teachers, and UF team on field day

Cedar Key School Advisors

Kathy Lawrence, Principal

Hilary Davis

Jennie Lynn Hudson-Lane

Lisa Smith

Cedar Key Historical Society & Museum

Anna Hodges, Executive Director

UF Research Team

Kathryn Frank, Associate Professor, Urban and Regional Planning

Tatum Edge, Master’s Student, Urban and Regional Planning

Kate Nelson, Master’s Student, Forest Resources and Conservation