Subject:
Title
Grant application for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection Fiscal Year 2025 Resilient Florida Grant Program for Real Time Flood Forecasting Project for the Pinellas County’s Coastline.
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Recommended Action:
Recommended Action
Approval by the Public Works Director of the grant application to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Resilient Florida Grant Program for a Real Time Flood Forecasting (RTFF) Project for the Pinellas County coastline.
• Grant request is $268,100.00. No County match is required.
• RTFF will serve as early flood warning system to allow County to predict flood levels impacting streets and structures throughout the County.
• Authority for the Public Works Director to approve this grant application is authorized by the Country Administrator’s delegation of authority dated March 28, 2016. Application deadline was September 1, 2024.
• No signature is required.
• Funding for this grant application is not included in the FY25 Budget of the Public Works Department in any fund. Should the grant be awarded, the appropriate budget amendments will be proposed to the Board of County Commissioners. Should the grant be awarded, this will not free up any funds and the full amount will go toward new, currently unbudgeted expenditures. No match is required.
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Strategic Plan:
Ensure Public Health, Safety, and Welfare
2.1 Provide planning, coordination, prevention, and protective services to create and enhance a safe, secure, and healthy community.
Practice Superior Environmental Stewardship
3.2 Preserve and manage environmental lands, beaches, parks, and historical assets.
3.5 Foster a sustainable and resilient community that is prepared for sea level rise and a changing climate.
Summary:
The purpose of this application is to seek funding to support the development of real time flood forecasting (RTFF) model and dashboard for the Pinellas County coastline to serve as an early warning system and allow the County to predict flood levels impacting streets and structures within the defined areas. The application requests $268,100.00 with no County match required.
Background/Explanation:
The County has developed modeling for regulatory purposes and updating FEMA’s Flood Insurance Rate Maps. Current models are limited by the initial water level conditions set up for the event-based modeling. Flooding has been observed in recent years and does not align consistently with the plan. Flooding appears to be progressively getting worse as storm frequency and intensities increase. A RTFF technology has been developed to predict flood levels in advance of events by using watershed conditions and rainfall forecasts to warn and alert stakeholders.
Fiscal Impact:
The grant application is for $268,100.00 for the FY 2025 and 2026 award period and there is no match required.
Delegated Authority:
Authority for the Public Works Director to approve this grant application is authorized by the Country Administrator’s delegation of authority dated March 28, 2016.
Staff Member Responsible:
Kelli Hammer Levy, Director, Public Works
Partners:
FDEP
Attachments:
Resilient Florida Grant Application
Public Works Director Approval Memo
OMB Intent to Apply Approval