Agenda 03/10/2015 Item #16A19 3/10/2015 16.A.19.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Recommendation to accept 1) A status report on the County's Community Rating System
(CRS) 5-year cycle evaluation and 2) A progress report on updating the Digital Flood
Insurance Rate Map (DFIRM) and on the corresponding proposed work plan.
OBJECTIVE: To provide the Board of County Commissioners (Board) with 1) A status update
on the County's CRS 5-year cycle evaluation and 2) A progress report on the ongoing efforts to
update the DFIRM using the latest LiDAR topographic data and obtain direction to the County
Manager or designee regarding the corresponding proposed work plan.
CONSIDERATIONS:
Community Rating System Update
The County submitted the CRS 5-year cycle evaluation in the summer of 2014. The County is
currently a class 6, which provides the majority of property owners with flood insurance a 20
percent discount. Currently, ISO, a subcontractor of FEMA, is reviewing the County's submittal
package and relayed it is anticipated the review will be complete in approximately 3 to 4 months.
At this time, both County Staff and the CRS/ISO representative are cautiously optimistic the
County will improve it's currently class rating to a class 5, which would provide a 25 percent
discount for the majority of property owners with flood insurance. Based on this timeframe, a
class improvement would take effect for insurance purposes in October 2015.
Flood Insurance Rate Map Progress Report
The DFIRM is the floodplain map produced by FEMA that identifies areas susceptible to
flooding from a 1% annual chance storm event. For Collier County the identified sources of
flooding are from coastal surge and rainfall. LiDAR, an acronym for Light Detection And
Ranging, is digitized topographic information.
From late 1998 through late 2010 the County worked with FEMA to develop a new floodplain
map in a digitized format instead of paper. This floodplain map is known as the DFIRM, and the
preliminary version for public comment was released in late 2010. The County received updated
LiDAR information and submitted the information for two basins through the appeal process.
The County's appeal was accepted by FEMA and included in the DFIRM.
Recognizing the benefits of incorporating the updated LiDAR into the DFIRM, on 5-10-11 the
Board approved a contract amendment with the County's consultant, Tomasello Consulting
Engineers, Inc. (TCE), to proceed with updating the remaining basins of the DFIRM. On 6-17-
13, the County submitted the first of two planned DFIRM updating packages to FEMA's Letter
of Map Change Clearinghouse, where all changes to the DFIRM are submitted and reviewed.
The first submittal covered the coastal surge plus three interior drainage basins. The size of area
impacted by this submittal automatically triggered a determination that this would be a physical
map revision (PMR) instead of a typical Letter of Map Change (LOMC). By 1-21-14, the
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County's first PMR submittal package had been approved by the LOMC Clearinghouse for
forwarding to FEMA Region IV in Atlanta, GA where it would be placed on hold until FEMA
Region IV identified a review contractor and identified sufficient funding for processing the
PMR.
The County continued working with TCE to prepare the second PMR submittal package, but
held off on actually making the submittal due to several things happening at FEMA. FEMA
implemented the scheduled initiation of a new coastal storm surge mapping project for the
country, including Florida's southwestern coastline (Sarasota County through Collier County).
This project is called Risk Mapping, Assessment, and Planning program (RiskMAP) and uses a
different coastal surge computer model (ADCIRC) than the FEMA Surge model used in the
County's PMR. Work on the southwest Florida RiskMAP began in early 2014 and is expected
to run for approximately four (4) years. RiskMAP is only designed to calculate a new stiliwater
elevation for comparison to the existing calculated stillwater elevation. [Note: Stillwater
elevation is the calculated height of just the surge portion of coastal flooding, before calculating
the wave height that is added on top of the stillwater elevation to establish the base flood
elevation for coastal flooding.] Once the RiskMAP is completed, FEMA Region IV may choose
to proceed with a new coastal flooding map update based upon the results of the stiliwater
elevation modeling. That effort could take three or four more years before completion and being
made effective on an updated DFIRM.
FEMA and County staff have had several discussions regarding the hold placed on the PMR
submitted to FEMA. FEMA's concerns include limited funding for updating mapping
throughout their eight (8) state region and hesitation because Collier County's DFIRM is
considered "new". Processing the County's PMR and the RiskMAP implementation
concurrently would provide the least impact to property owners in the floodplain, but timing for
completion of the PMR would then be delayed for several years. If the two are processed
independently, it may create a "yo-yo" effect on changing coastal flood zones and base flood
elevations for property owners. The interior portions (riverine basins) of the County would have
more accurate floodplain mapping.
FEMA is required to evaluate all mapping revisions submitted to them. In an effort to coordinate
work efforts and maximize resources and timing, County and FEMA Region IV staff are
developing a proposed a work plan that has the following basic points.
• The County will proceed with submitting the 2nd PMR submittal package to the LOMC
Clearinghouse. Once the LOMC Clearinghouse review is complete, the 2nd PMR
submittal package will be forwarded on to FEMA Region IV.
• FEMA Region IV plans to commit funds for processing both PMR submittals. However,
FEMA, being a part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is only operating
under a continuing resolution passed by the U.S. Congress and is subject to the
availability of funding only if another continuing resolution or longer lasting funding is
appropriated by Congress. FEMA headquarters (HQ) cannot commit to a specific date
when mapping funds will be available to FEMA Region IV. Once the FEMA Region IV
office has been notified by FEMA HQ that funds are available, the region will put into
place the necessary contracting procedures to start the actual PMR processing. (Note that
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by this point it is proposed that both PMR submittals will be combined into a single
mapping update and handled as a single PMR.)
• If no new coastal restudy is to occur as a result of the findings of RiskMAP, then FEMA
Region IV and the County can move forward with the County's coastal PMR. Should
FEMA pursue a coastal restudy as a result of RiskMAP, then FEMA Region IV will, with
the County's support, remove the coastal portion of the PMR from the submittal and
utilize the new RiskMAP findings. This will avoid any unnecessary changes to the
BFE's in the coastal area.
• Whenever the coastal flooding is updated, whether from the County's PMR or the
RiskMAP results, there will be a Coastal A zone created by mapping the Limit of
Moderate Wave Action (LiMWA). The Coastal A zone will become applicable to
construction compliance with the Florida Building Code.
• FEMA's contractor will establish an open line of communication (e.g. e-mails, regularly
scheduled conference calls, etc.) with the County during processing of the PMR and
development of the Preliminary DFIRM. FEMA's contractor will develop the necessary
procedures to incorporate both the low and high flight level aerials into the final FIRM
and DFIRM to avoid the readability issues currently experienced with the effective
DFIRM.
• Scheduling for finalization of the updated DFIRM has too many unknowns on FEMA's
part. Estimating a mid to late 2016 time frame is taking an optimistic view. Note also
that once the DFIRM is updated and the Letter of Final Determination issued by FEMA,
there is an additional 6-month compliance period before the new map would become
effective for flood insurance purposes. Building code compliance would become
effective as soon as the Board adopts the new map by amending the referenced map in
the flood damage prevention ordinance.
FISCAL IMPACT: None, at this point, but it is anticipated that TCE's contract may need to be
amended to fund the additional work to combine the work products into a single submittal and
extend the timeline for successful completion. The additional cost would follow the standard
procurement process.
LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS: This item is approved for form and legality and requires a
majority vote for Board approval. —JAB
GROWTH MANAGEMENT IMPACT: There is no growth management impact associated
with this Executive Summary.
RECOMMENDATION: For the Board to accept 1) Status report on the County's CRS 5- year
cycle evaluation and 2) A progress report on the ongoing efforts to update the DFIRM and the
corresponding proposed work plan.
PREPARED BY: Caroline Cilek, M.S., AICP, CFM, Land Development Code Manager
Land Development Code &Floodplain Management Sections
Growth Management Division
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Robert Wiley, Principal Project Manager
Operations Support Department
Growth Management Division
Attachment: None
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COLLIER COUNTY
Board of County Commissioners
Item Number: 16.16.A.16.A.19.
Item Summary: Recommendation to accept: 1) A status report on the County's
Community Rating System (CRS) 5-year cycle evaluation and 2)A progress report on the
updating of the Flood Insurance Rate Map (DFIRM) and to provide direction to the County
Manager or designee on the corresponding proposed work plan.
Meeting Date: 3/10/2015
Prepared By
Name: WileyRobert
Title:Project Manager,Principal,Natural Resources
2/3/2015 9:47:40 AM
Approved By
Name: LorenzWilliam
Title: Director-CDES Engineering Services,Natural Resources
Date: 2/4/2015 3:56:13 PM
Name: McLeanMatthew
Title:Project Manager,Principal, Operations and Regulatory Management
Date: 2/4/2015 5:08:52 PM
Name: CilekCaroline
Title: Manager-LDC,Environmental Services
Date: 2/5/2015 1:27:51 PM
Name: PuigJudy
Title: Operations Analyst,Community Development&Environmental Services
Date: 2/5/2015 4:59:47 PM
Name: FrenchJames
Title: Director-Operations Support, Operations&Regulatory Management
Date: 2/11/2015 9:27:52 PM
Name: BelpedioJennifer
Title: Assistant County Attorney, CAO General Services
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Date: 2/20/2015 1:30:02 PM
Name: MarcellaJeanne
Title: Executive Secretary,Transportation Planning
Date: 2/25/2015 10:51:46 AM
Name: KlatzkowJeff
Title: County Attorney,
Date: 2/25/2015 4:05:40 PM
Name: IsacksonMark
Title: Division Director-Corp Fin&Mgmt Svc,Office of Management&Budget
Date: 3/2/2015 9:35:44 AM
Name: OchsLeo
Title: County Manager, County Managers Office
Date: 3/3/2015 11:14:11 AM
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