Sarasota County Stormwater Division of Public Works invites community members to review and provide comments on the Floodplain Management Plan (FMP). The FMP was redeveloped and adopted by the Sarasota County Board of County Commissioners in January 2019 to help community members reduce or eliminate flood risks on properties and become resistant to coastal, riverine and urban flooding.

The FMP requires an update every five years, but to better align with the county’s Local Mitigation Strategy (LMS), which helps to prevent or minimize future emergency flood impacts, the FMP is being updated early. In combination with the Mitigation Strategy, the FMP serves as a guiding document that identifies and analyzes a wide range of mitigation actions and projects for flood protection. Projects range from public outreach to potential infrastructure construction, intended to reduce the impact of flooding on new and existing residential or commercial buildings. Each project included in the LMS ensures that when funding becomes available through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) or other grant funding programs, the county is eligible to receive funding for approved projects. All projects are reviewed, evaluated, updated by the FMP Committee, and then updated in the LMS.

Community members are encouraged to familiarize themselves with flood protection, review the FMP and submit comments for the next update and evaluation report. Comments will be accepted through June 30 by emailing CRS coordinator Donna Bailey at [email protected].