Surviving hurricanes, sea rise in Keys may mean $3 billion in home buyouts, elevations

A bird’s eye look at the Florida Keys is all it takes to understand that little stands between the chain of islands and the sea.

A new federal study all but confirms that there are few big, structural options to keep the Keys safe from the stronger hurricanes and rising seas that climate change is expected to bring. The answer, it suggests, is a combination of elevation and retreat.

In a presentation shown to Monroe County Commissioners last week, the Army Corps of Engineers outlined a $3 billion strategy...