Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

I am in this moment working in my project and I would like to know how can I demonstrate the sea level rising using a model of the State (based on a relief map of 36x 40 inches) and knowing that the level can be raised by the global warming 8 to 30 inches in ten years) I am thinking in using a block of ice and warming it and conducting the melted water to a tank with the model of Florida, but I am not sure how I can translate this process to correspond to the scale of my model of Florida State.
Can you help me ? Please!

The highest point in Florida is 345 feet above sea level and the average elevation is about 100 feet. Let's say that your scale model exagerates the height and makes the highest point about 1 inch (most relief maps I've seen make the highest point about 1/2 inch or so). At that scale, a 12 inch rise in sea level would only be 0.0029 inch on your map (scale of 1 inch/345 feet times 1 foot rise = 0.0029 inch). I'm sure that the map itself has an inaccuracy much greater than 0.0029 inch, not to mention that such a small change in the water level would be invisible.

I can think of two possible solutions:

1) Simply color in the areas that would be affected, or
2) Don't use a map of the entire state, instead do a model of a much smaller region (say an important bay or coastal area) where the highest point is much lower than the 100 foot average for the state. Consequently, the scale rise in sea level could be a much larger number than the value for the state as a whole.

Thank you very much for your thoughtful suggestion. I will work on a specific area in South Florida.