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Flood map updates could affect many
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| By: Mark J. Crawford, Editor |
October 23, 2009 |
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Thousands of letters have been mailed to Bradford County property owners regarding changes in flood maps that could impact their insurance or development plans.
According to a press release from the Suwannee River Water Management District, the process has involved setting flood elevations for areas in the county that are at risk for flooding. The maps will show some new areas considered to be at high risk of flooding while other parcels are now designated as low- to moderate-risk.
The new data will also determine which property owners are required to purchase flood insurance. It could also affect homeowners' insurance premiums.
"This means that some people will not be required to maintain flood insurance, while others will," said Kevin Wright of the water management district. "It may also result in higher or lower insurance premiums."
In the first phase of the project, elevations were set for Lake Sampson, Lake Crosby and Lake Rowell. Changes have been made to 3,300 parcels in all, or 20 percent of Bradford County.
Flood elevations show the level water could rise during a flooding event, according to the district. The information is used to determine how high a home must be built in relation to those levels.
Buildings where flood elevations have changed could be subject to different building requirements if improvements are made to those properties.
"There will probably be a substantial amount of questions and concerns," County Manager Brad Carter said as he was briefing county commissioners on the process last week. He said he knew commissioners would want every affected person in the county notified, so staff has taken that step.
Commissioners expressed concern that even media attention and personal mailings wouldn't be enough to notify all those affected. They were quick to point out these are not changes driven by the county but by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
FEMA's goal is to modernize outdated flood map information, and it is working with the Suwannee River Water Management District to accomplish this goal.
The county is joining with FEMA and the water management district to host an open house early next month. This will give the public a chance to view the new flood maps and comment on the changes.
The open house will be held at the Bradford County Public Library, 456 W. Pratt Street in Starke, on Thursday, Nov. 5. People can arrive beginning at 5 p.m. to view the maps and speak one-on-one with experts about their questions and concerns. A formal presentation will be made at 7 p.m.
Residents can view the maps in advance by contacting the county building and zoning office at 904-966-6223 or 904-966-6205.
According to FEMA, floods are the most common hazard in the United States, and it encourages all homeowners to get flood insurance because everyone is at risk. Some areas are more at risk than others, and that is what the flood maps define.
According to its Web site, the water management district sees its mission of increasing public awareness and minimizing flood hazards as aligned with FMEA's goals. Since 1979, the district has operated under a nonstructural floodplain management policy that prohibits dams, dikes and other structures. It instead employs regulatory permitting, storm water improvement projects, land acquisition, etc., in minimizing the threat of flooding.
The Suwannee River Water Management District wants all of the counties in its jurisdiction to have updated digital flood insurance rate maps. Digital maps can be more easily updated as development occurs, and it hopes to give communities the tools and resources they need to better manage, assess and plan for development and construction in flood prone areas.
The maps, also known as flood insurance rate maps, show flood zones ranging from low risk to high risk. Insurance rates will vary based on the flood risk. Property in designated flood areas must have flood insurance when a federally backed mortgage is involved.
If you are required to obtain flood insurance but do not, you're your lender could force place the insurance and charge you for the cost of it.
Appeals or protests can be filed before the maps receive final approval. An appeal is a dispute of a new or revised basic flood elevation and must be based on knowledge or information that the proposed flood elevations are scientifically or technically incorrect.
According to the district's Web site, when the 90-day appeal period is started, a 6-month compliance period for the entire county begins. During this compliance period, local flood damage prevention ordinances must be revised and adopted.
The district states that ultimate the responsibility for managing floodplain development lies with local officials. Therefore, communities adopt flood damage prevention ordinances that contain the minimum standards for obtaining required permits for all proposed construction or other development.
More information and answers to frequently asked questions is available online at www.srwmdfloodmaps.com.
In other business:
* The sheriff was authorized to spend money from law enforcement and the jail on animal control capital projects. Current projects are focused on weatherizing the facility to keep animals warm but also reduce winter utility bills, which in the past have been as high as $3,000 a month, according to the sheriff.
* The county commission approved a grant agreement with the Florida Department of Transportation to resurface Northwest C.R. 200A near Lawtey (Grove Street) from U.S. 301 to Northwest C.R. 225. The project is being paid for through the County Incentive Grant Program. The county was awarded a maximum of $415,334.
* A contract for the removal and hauling of yard trash and vegetative waste from the county dumpsites was awarded to North Florida Landscape Management Inc. of Starke for $38.06 a ton. Towell Trucking of Lake Butler was the low bidder, but the county's bidding ordinance allows a 10 percent difference for contractors within Bradford County.
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©Bradford County Telegraph 2009
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