Subject:
Title
2021 Federal Legislative Program.
label
Recommended Action:
Recommended Action
Approval of the 2021 Federal Legislative Program.
• The 2021 Federal Legislative Program outlines the Board’s federal legislative priorities for the upcoming year.
• National Flood Insurance Program
a.) Support a long-term extension to the program (set to expire September 30, 2021) that ensures financial sustainability, while not pricing out policy holders. This includes providing premium discounts for private and community-based mitigation efforts.
b.) Oppose the implementation of Risk Rating 2.0 (set to go into effect October 1, 2021) until further details of the program are released.
• Beach Nourishment
a.) Request the Army Corps of Engineers reevaluate its Perpetual Storm Damage Reduction Easement policy, which requires 100% of beachfront property owner easements in perpetuity for areas landward of the Erosion Control Line within the limits of the planned Sand Key nourishment project.
b.) Request funding for the design and engineering of the Treasure Island, Sand Key, and Long Key federal beach nourishment projects.
• Transportation/Infrastructure
a.) Support the timely reauthorization of the FAST Act (set to expire on September 30, 2021), which provides funding over the next five years for transportation, highway, and transit programs.
b.) Support strategies that address the Federal Highway Trust Fund’s declining revenues in order to adequately fund future transportation needs.
c.) Request that the new FAST Act reestablishes the federal discretionary bridge program that expired in 2005; and continues support for Advanced Traffic Management Systems.
d.) Request comprehensive infrastructure legislation that includes federal support for new discretionary grant programs to harden and enhance the resiliency of transportation and other public infrastructure; supports local projects that address sea level rise and storm surge issues; and addresses the needs of public water infrastructure systems.
• Offshore Oil Drilling
a.) Support an extension to the current moratorium on oil drilling in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico within 125 miles of Florida, set to expire in 2022.
• COVID-19 Federal Support for Local Governments
a.) Support continued direct, flexible funding for local governments to assist with critical local response efforts to the COVID-19 pandemic.
b.) Support timely federal reimbursement of FEMA public assistance funding and the development of clear and consistent reimbursement guidance and policies.
Body
Strategic Plan:
5.1 Maximize partner relationships and public outreach
5.2 Be responsible stewards of the public’s resources
Summary:
Summary
The Federal Legislative Program outlines the Board’s federal priorities for the upcoming year. In addition to the priorities included in the Program, County staff and the county’s federal government relations firm, Van Scoyoc Associates, will closely monitor all issues that emerge, and have the potential to impact Pinellas County Government’s ability to deliver services to its residents and visitors alike.
Body
Background Information:
Input from the Board was received in March and incorporated into the Program. On April 8, 2021 the Program was presented to the Pinellas County Federal Legislative Delegation at a joint meeting that also included the constitutional officers and chief judge.
Fiscal Impact:
N/A
Staff Member Responsible:
Brian Lowack, Intergovernmental Liaison, County Administration
Partners:
Pinellas County Federal Legislative Delegation
Van Scoyoc Associates, Federal Governmental Relations Firm
Attachments:
2021 Federal Legislative Program