MILTON — The Santa Rosa County Local Mitigation Strategy plan, developed by staff with input from the LMS Task Force, was recently rated among those in the "top tier" of the state.
The plan, which the Emergency Management Agency and Florida Division of Emergency Management approved for five years, may be used as a model for mitigation plan development statewide.
Over the past year, the state's Mitigation Planning Unit developed a comprehensive LMS update manual to assist communities in navigating the tedious update process.
The manual breaks down each of FEMA's requirements, detailing the process required for a successful update. Santa Rosa County's plan was recognized as an exemplary example and incorporated in the update manual.
Additionally, Santa Rosa's Multi-Jurisdictional Flood Mitigation Plan, an appendix to the LMS, is one of the top-scoring plans in the U.S. The plan's ranking plays a large role in reducing the county's community rating system class, which in turn can mean larger discounts in flood insurance premiums for Santa Rosa residents.
The LMS plan is developed to reduce risks and mitigate property loss from natural hazards including hurricanes, floods and wildfires, and includes recommendations for raising the heights of homes and adding infrastructure to accommodate stormwater runoff.
Without an approved LMS, the county couldn’t apply for federal mitigation grants. The plan is available at www.santarosa.fl.gov/lms.
The Santa Rosa County Local Mitigation Strategy Task Force task force develops, monitors, implements and maintains a comprehensive plan for hazard mitigation.
Participation on the task force is open to all jurisdictions, organizations and individuals supporting its purposes.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Santa Rosa mitigation strategy ranked 'top tier'