Okaloosa County BOCC — July 19, 2016 — Adoption of 2016 Local Mitigation Strategy — agenda request

BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS AGENDA REQUEST DATE: July 19, 2016 TO: Honorable Chairman and Members of the Board FROM: Elliot Kampert SUBJECT: Adoption of 2016 Local Mitigation Strategy DEPARTMENT: Growth Management BCC DISTRICT: All STATEMENT OF ISSUE: The County must by ordinance adopt its new, 2016 Local Mitigation Strategy following a public hearing. This public hearing was set during the Board's regular meeting of July 6th, 2016. BACKGROUND: The federal Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act requires that every community develop a plan and strategy (known as a Local Mitigation Strategy or LMS) that addresses each type of natural disaster that threatens the community. Failure to develop and adopt the required LMS jeopardizes a community’s ability to receive certain types of both pre-disaster and post-disaster funds. Okaloosa County first adopted its LMS in 1999, which it re-adopted with some revisions in 2006. In 2011, the LMS was substantially re-written and re-formatted by the Okaloosa County LMS Committee which is comprised of representatives from various County departments, the municipal governments of Okaloosa County, and the Air Force. The Committee is chaired by Okaloosa County. The attached 2016 LMS was also written by the LMS Committee and is primarily an update to the 2011 version. In accordance with the Stafford Act, the accompanying LMS includes:  a general description of all the natural hazards to which the county as a whole is vulnerable;  a municipality-specific analysis of the natural hazards to which each municipality is vulnerable;  an analysis of the natural hazards to which the unincorporated County is vulnerable;  a list of the LMS’ goals, objectives, and policies;  a list of projects intended to reduce the communities’ (cities and County) vulnerability to the various natural disasters; and  a discussion of the actions and programs (for example, participation in the National Flood Insurance Program) each community has undertaken to reduce its vulnerability to natural disasters. On May 31, 2016 the Florida Division of Emergency Management notified Okaloosa County that the Federal Emergency Management Agency had found the 2011 LMS ready for adoption, and encouraged Okaloosa County and its municipalities to adopt the 2016 LMS in an expeditious manner. In addition to fulfilling the requirements of the Stafford Act, the Local Mitigation Strategy facilitates the County’s participation in the National Flood Insurance Program Community Rating System. OPTIONS: The Board of County Commissioners may adopt or not adopt the 2016 Local Mitigation Strategy. RECOMMENDATION: The Department of Growth Management requests that the Board conduct the public hearing, receive input, and then approve the 2016 Local Mitigation Strategy and authorize the Chairman to sign the adopting ordinance. RECOMMENDED BY: APPROVED BY: John Hofstad, County Administrator