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Leon County
Board of County Commissioners Cover Sheet for Agenda #12 April 28, 2020 |
| To: | Honorable Chairman and Members of the Board |
| From: | Vincent S. Long, County Administrator |
| Title: | Approval of the 2020 Update of the Tallahassee-Leon County Local Mitigation Strategy |
| Review and Approval: | Vincent S. Long, County Administrator |
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Department/Division Review and Approval: |
Alan Rosenzweig, Deputy County Administrator Ken Morris, Assistant County Administrator Benjamin H. Pingree, Director, PLACE Cherie Y. Bryant, Director, Tallahassee – Leon County Planning Department |
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Lead Staff/ Project Team: |
Artie White, Administrator of Comprehensive Planning Stephen Hodges, Senior Planner |
This item seeks Board adoption of a Resolution to approve the updated 2020 Tallahassee - Leon County Local Mitigation Strategy (LMS) plan. The LMS is a plan intended to identify and reduce the community’s long-term vulnerability to natural and technological hazards through various forms of mitigation to reduce risk to individuals and to property.
Fiscal Impact:
This item has no fiscal impact.
Staff Recommendation:
Option #1: Adopt by Resolution (Attachment #1) the 2020 Update to the Tallahassee - Leon County Local Mitigation Strategy plan (Attachment #2).
Report and Discussion
Background:
This item seeks Board adoption of a Resolution (Attachment #1) to approve the updated 2020 Tallahassee - Leon County Local Mitigation Strategy (LMS) plan (Attachment #2). The LMS is a plan intended to identify and reduce the community’s long-term vulnerability to natural and technological hazards through various forms of mitigation to reduce risk to individuals and to property.
Federal rules require the LMS to be reviewed and updated as necessary every five years. Since 2010, the Tallahassee-Leon County LMS has been updated three times (2010, 2015, and 2017). The most recent update was adopted by the County and City Commissions in May 2017 following Hurricane Hermine. The process used for the 2020 update was similar to that used to create the original plan and included soliciting input from the Steering Committee and other stakeholders through public meetings and hearings.
The joint Tallahassee-Leon County Local Mitigation Strategy (LMS) outlines a series of proposed mitigation initiatives intended to reduce hazards and their potential impacts. To ensure eligibility for future federal and state assistance for natural or man-made disasters, local governments are required by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the State of Florida’s Division of Emergency Management to adopt an LMS. Local governments are required to have an LMS in order to apply for federal Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) funds provided to counties, municipalities, and nonprofit organizations within counties affected by disasters such as hurricanes, fires, and other similar events.
The Resolution initially adopting the Tallahassee-Leon County Local Mitigation Strategy was approved by the Board of County Commissioners on September 26, 2000 and by the Tallahassee City Commission October 11, 2000. The process of developing this mitigation plan included extensive public participation through public meetings, the creation of an LMS Steering Committee, and City and County Commission workshops and meetings.
The LMS Steering Committee was initially assembled by the Apalachee Regional Planning Council, which prepared the 1999 edition of the LMS. Local government departments having a substantive role in hazard mitigation, disaster response, reconstruction, or public safety were invited to participate in this committee. Other public and private institutions that may be affected by natural or other disasters, including local hospitals, universities and schools, and other nonprofit organizations, were also invited to participate. The private sector was solicited through the Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce and the Council of Neighborhood Associations (CONA). The Florida Division of Emergency Management (DEM) also participated in the drafting and review of the original LMS.
The 2020 update was prepared by Planning staff following a review of the LMS Steering Committee bylaws, the proposed mitigation initiatives in the existing plan, and other strategic plans and reports with implications for the LMS such as the Hurricane Hermine, Hurricane Irma, and Hurricane Michael After Action Reports, and the Tallahassee Community Resilience Plan. The major changes to the LMS include:
At present, the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is ongoing, and Leon County, the City of Tallahassee, and all regional, state, and federal partner agencies are currently engaged in immediate public health and emergency response activities. The proposed update to the LMS provides information describing this pandemic, as well as the increased vulnerability and risks to the community from this hazard. Additional updates include broadening the scope of selected hazard mitigation initiatives in the anticipation of the potential mitigation grant funding opportunities for health-related initiatives and projects.
When the pandemic eventually subsides, the County will engage its public health, emergency management, and all other community partners to conduct a thorough after-action review to evaluate our community's response and identify any potential recommendations to improve our community's resilience to these types of events. This after-action review may include one or more recommendations to further update the LMS with additional strategies or specific projects to help mitigate against similar pandemic events in the future.
Federal and state rules require the LMS to be updated every five years but also allow for interim updates as necessary to reflect new hazards, projects, and other changes. Based on the timing and recommendations that will be provided in the COVID-19 after-action review, staff will evaluate the need for interim revisions to the LMS. If hazard mitigation grant funds are eventually made available to local governments, the LMS can be updated to include any new projects that would be deemed eligible for said funds.
Based on the Hurricane Hermine After Action Report, the LMS was updated with information regarding the local homeless population and their vulnerability to certain hazards. These hazards include hurricanes and tropical storms, severe storms, extreme temperatures, and diseases, epidemics, and pandemics. Staff also invited homeless services providers through the Big Bend Continuum of Care to offer an opportunity through the LMS Steering Committee to submit proposed hazard mitigation projects eligible for HMGP funding following the Hurricane Michael disaster event.
The County/City departments on the LMS Steering Committee include Underground Utilities and Public Infrastructure, Tallahassee Fire Department, Tallahassee Police Department, the Planning Department, Geographic Information Systems, and the Blueprint Intergovernmental Agency. In addition to the LMS Steering Committee, input was gathered from the following agencies and County/City departments for the update to the LMS; Leon County Sheriff’s Office, COT Sustainability and Community Preservation, COT Resource Management, County Public Works, County Development Support and Environmental Management, Emergency Management, and Emergency Medical Services. Each have also reviewed the draft LMS for accuracy and their comments have been addressed in the LMS.
The Florida Division of Emergency Management, on behalf of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, has already issued an Approved Pending Adoption letter to Leon County and the City of Tallahassee. This letter indicates that the LMS has met the requirements for its mandatory five-year update. The next step requires the Board and City to adopt a Resolution approving the updated 2020 Tallahassee-Leon County LMS plan. It is anticipated that the City Commission will adopt the updated LMS at their April 22, 2020 meeting.
Option #1