Subject:
Title
Resolution approving the required five-year update and adoption of the 2025 Pinellas County Local Mitigation Strategy, also known as the All Hazards Mitigation Plan.
label
Recommended Action:
Recommended Action
Approval of the resolution approving the required five-year update and adoption of the 2025 Pinellas County Local Mitigation Strategy (LMS), also known as the All Hazards Mitigation Plan.
• The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the State of Florida require a comprehensive update to the LMS every five years.
• Adoption of the 2025 LMS ensures the ability of the County and its 24 municipalities to apply for and receive various Federal hazard mitigation grants.
• The LMS also serves as the County’s Floodplain Management Plan, required for participation in the Community Rating System program.
• The LMS establishes an ongoing multijurisdictional process that identifies plans, programs, policies and ordinances, and studies/reports to augment hazard mitigation efforts at the local level.
• The LMS includes a description of the types of hazards that may impact the County, their probability of occurrence, the geographic areas that are most vulnerable, and an estimate of the potential losses from various hazards.
• The Florida Division of Emergency Management has reviewed the 2025 update to the LMS and has determined that the Pinellas LMS plan is compliant with federal standards related to hazard mitigation and is ready for adoption by the County and municipalities (see attached letter dated February 7, 2025).
• A draft of the Executive Summary for the 2025 LMS is attached.
• A full draft of the 2025 LMS Plan, can be provided upon request to the County Housing and Community Development Department.
• While the resolution itself does not have a direct fiscal impact, failure to adopt the resolution puts current grant revenues and future grant revenue opportunities for the County and its municipalities at risk.
Body
Strategic Plan:
Healthy and Safe Communities
Resilient Infrastructure and Environment
Summary:
Summary
The Board of County Commissioners (Board) is being requested to adopt the 2025 update to the County LMS. The LMS is a countywide hazard mitigation plan that is applicable to the County, its 24 municipalities, as well as several public and private agencies and non-profit organizations. The LMS is a multi-jurisdictional plan that is developed to reduce and/or eliminate the risks associated with natural and man-made hazards. These plans must be in accordance with the Federal Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000. Without an approved LMS, the County would be unable to apply for various Federal hazard mitigation grants. The current LMS expires on May 5, 2025. FEMA and the State of Florida require a comprehensive update to the LMS every five (5)-years. Board adoption of the 2025 update to the LMS is critical to ensure that we continue to make the County eligible for these grants as they become available.
The LMS also serves as the County’s Floodplain Management Plan, as required for participation in the CRS Program. The County Program for Public Information (PPI) was introduced by the FEMA as a new planning tool to provide a step-by-step coordinated approach to flood hazard outreach. With this intent in mind, the County’s PPI committee was convened in 2014 to provide input and insight regarding target audiences, messaging and methods of delivery of flood related public information. In 2019, the PPI committee transitioned into a multi-jurisdictional stakeholder working group, the Pinellas County Flood Risk and Mitigation Public Information Working Group (FRMPIWG), to improve consistency in messaging countywide and avoid duplication of efforts. The purpose is to improve communication with citizens, and to provide information about flood hazards, flood safety, flood insurance, and ways to protect property and natural floodplain functions to those who can benefit from it. The PPI is outlined in Appendix H of the 2025 LMS Plan. A Repetitive Loss Area Analysis (RLAA) is outlined in Appendix I. Submittal of the PPI, RLAA and LMS annual updates to the Board are required as a part of the County’s participation in the National Flood Insurance Program’s (NFIP) CRS Program. The County’s participation in the CRS Program results in over $27 million of annual savings for flood insurance premiums. The 2025 LMS five (5)-Year update includes the PPI, an updated RLAA, and fulfills the 2024 LMS Annual Update requirements as well. The adoption of the 2025 LMS update will therefore enable us to meet the annual requirements of the CRS Program.
Body
Background Information:
The LMS establishes an ongoing multi-jurisdictional process that identifies plans, programs, policies and ordinances, and studies/reports to augment hazard mitigation efforts at the local level. The LMS includes a description of the types of hazards that may impact Pinellas County, their probability of occurrence, the geographic areas that are most vulnerable, and an estimate of potential losses from various natural hazards. Measures or initiatives to mitigate the potential impact of the various hazards to which the County is susceptible are identified in the 2025 LMS Plan in the Risk Assessment Section with additional detailed tables for each of the local governments, provided in Appendix B - Risk Assessment Tables. A list of ongoing and potential mitigation initiatives is provided in Appendix D - Mitigation Initiatives. When a local government receives federal hazard mitigation grants, they are used to implement initiatives identified in the LMS.
The first unified LMS for the County was adopted in 1999, with five (5)-year updates in 2004, 2009, 2015 and 2020. The 2025 LMS Plan was developed by the LMS Working Group with consulting assistance from Atkins Realis and the FRMPIWG. This five (5)-year update process involved extensive public outreach and an elaborate review and update to the LMS by the LMS Working Group, FRMPIWG members and the FDEM. Two (2) publicly noticed workshops were conducted, and a mitigation survey released in both English and Spanish to gain public input on hazard analysis and final draft plan. All outreach efforts in support of the 2025 LMS update are outlined in Appendix A - Planning Process Documentation.
FDEM has reviewed the 2025 update to the LMS and has determined that the County LMS plan is compliant with federal standards related to hazard mitigation and is ready for adoption by the County and municipalities (see attached letter dated February 7, 2025). A draft of the Executive Summary for the 2025 LMS is attached. A full draft of the 2025 LMS Plan can be received upon request to the County Housing and Community Development Department.
Fiscal Impact:
While the resolution itself does not have a direct fiscal impact, failure to adopt the resolution puts current grant revenues and future grant revenue opportunities for the County and its municipalities at risk.
Staff Member Responsible:
Glenn Bailey, Interim Director, Housing and Community Development
Partners:
The Multijurisdictional Pinellas County LMS Working Group
The Flood Risk and Mitigation Public Information Working Group which includes, participating municipalities, various governmental agencies, local non-profits, universities, neighborhood associations, and real estate and mortgage industry stakeholders.
Attachments:
2025 LMS Plan Executive Summary.
Resolution
Attachment “A” to Resolution (Appendix H Program for Public Information from 2025 LMS Plan)
Attachment “B” to the Resolution (Appendix I Repetitive Loss Area Analysis from 2025 LMS Plan)
LMS Working Group Roster
Approved Pending Adoption (APA) Letter from FDEM dated February 7, 2025.