ST. PETERSBURG, FL (October 25, 2017) – The Federal Emergency Management Agency and Florida Division of Emergency Management have received the following application for Federal grant funding. Final notice is hereby given of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) consideration to provide funding in the form of a Flood Mitigation Assistance Program Grant.
Under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), federal actions must be reviewed and evaluated for feasible alternatives and for social, economic, historic, environmental, legal, and safety considerations. Under Executive Order (EO) 11988 and EO 11990, FEMA is required to consider alternatives to and to provide public notice of any proposed actions in or affecting floodplains or wetlands. EO 12898 also requires FEMA to provide the opportunity for public participation in the planning process and to consider potential impacts on minority or low-income populations.
Funding for the proposed project will be conditional upon compliance with all applicable federal, tribal, state and local laws, regulations, floodplain standards, permit requirements and conditions.
Applicant: City of St. Petersburg
Project Title: City of St. Petersburg Elevation Projects
Location of Proposed Work:
The area affected by these projects consists of three (3) residential properties located in Shore Acres, St. Petersburg, Florida.
Proposed Work and Purpose:
The City of St. Petersburg intends to mitigate three (3) residential structures located in the community’s coastal zone that have experienced flood loss. To mitigate future flood losses, the proposed projects will elevate the current foundations and structures. The 2013 State of Florida Enhanced Hazard Mitigation Plan and Pinellas County’s Local Mitigation Strategy advocate elevation of structures to eliminate future flood-related losses. Elevation was the preferred choice of the applicants. All construction will comply with Florida and local building code requirements and specifications.
Project Alternatives:
The alternatives to the project that have been and will be considered are 1) the no-action alternative and 2) mitigation and reconstruction. These alternatives were determined to be not viable because under Alternative 1) the properties will remain vulnerable to flood risks, including property damage and health hazards; as such, continued negative impacts on the properties, residents, and community may be experienced; and under Alternative 2) the cost for a mitigation reconstruction project is much higher than for an elevation project and is not the preferred mitigation method for homeowners.
Comment Period:
Comments are solicited from the public; local, state or federal agencies; and other interested parties in order to consider and evaluate the impacts of the proposed project. The comments should be made in writing and addressed to the Florida Division of Emergency Management, Bureau of Recovery and Mitigation, 2555 Shumard Oak Blvd., Tallahassee, FL 32399-2100. These are due within 30 days of this notice. The State will forward comments to applicable regulatory agencies as needed. Interested persons may submit comments, obtain more detailed information about the proposed action, or request a copy of the findings by contacting:
Rick Dunn, City of St. Petersburg Floodplain Manager, 727-5513391 or Rick.Dunn@stpete.org
Adele Balmer, State Environmental Liaison Officer, Florida Division of Emergency Management, 407-856-5019 or Adele.Balmer@em.myflorida.com