Pinellas drafts additional policies to address flooding

Pinellas County has identified potential policies to address the reduction of current and future flood risks in its coastal areas. Drafted as a part of the Resilience Planning Grant (RPG) project and with the help of different stakeholders, the identified draft policies address the Peril of Flood statute requirements.

The policies specifically focus on, reducing current and future flood risks in coastal areas, that are caused by situations such as, high-tide events, storm surge and sea level rise. The draft policies were identified through the Resilience Planning Grant (RPG) project. This effort is funded through a $75,000 grant provided by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

In 2015, the Florida Legislature passed Senate Bill 1094 titled “An Act relating to the peril of flood,” commonly known as the Peril of Flood act. This new law, which became effective in July of 2015, specifies requirements for a community’s Comprehensive Plan related to coastal flooding and sea level rise. It requires local governments to include a redevelopment component in its Comprehensive Plan’s Coastal Management Element. This redevelopment component is required to contain principles, strategies and engineering solutions that address flood risks, including those caused by sea level rise. A local government needs to adopt specific policies into its Comprehensive Plan that will help meet these requirements.

Pinellas County’s Comprehensive Plan already includes some policies that are critical to addressing floods. This current effort, is meant to identify additional strategies and best practices, that can reduce Pinellas County’s future risks, reduce losses due to flooding, and help the County meet the Peril of Flood requirements. As work continues on these policies, input from the public is requested.

Residents can access the draft policies by visiting www.pinellaslms.org.

The Resilience Planning Grant is provided by the State of Florida to promote community-resiliency planning. It supports projects, that address risks associated with floods, other disasters and changing coastal conditions. Pinellas County is one of the 33 communities in Florida that received this grant funding under the State of Florida’s Resilient Coastlines Program for the Fiscal Year 2020/2021. This project was initiated in August 2020, and the timeframe for the grant ends on June 30, 2021.