Flood Mitigation Assistance Program
Fiscal Years 2001and 2002 Flood Mitigation Assistance Program Applications
The Department of Community Affairs, Division of Emergency Management (DEM) is pleased to announce that the State of Florida has been allocated approximately $5.6 million in project funds under the Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) Program by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for Fiscal Years (FYs) 2001 and 2002. We are soliciting project applications and encourage your local government to identify and submit applications that address flood mitigation for repetitively flooded structures in your community. The application period will close March 30, 2002. Therefore, all applications must be postmarked by March 30, 2002.
The overall goal of the FMA is to fund feasible cost-effective mitigation measures that will reduce or eliminate the long-term risk of flood damage to structures insured under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Consequently, project applications that would acquire, relocate, retrofit, improve drainage and/or elevate repetitively flooded structures are especially encouraged during FYs 2001and 2002, since the location of many of these structures is already known.PROJECT ELIGIBILITY
For the FYs 2001 and 2002 funding cycle, DEM is soliciting applications from targeted eligible communities and funds will be allocated in phases, as described below:
A. Phase One - Governor's Front Porch Initiative: Funds shall be made available to retrofit or protect repetitive loss properties located in each of the State's eleven designated Front Porch Communities.
B. Phase Two - FEMA's Top 500 Repetitive Loss List: Funds shall be made available to those communities that have structures appearing on FEMA's list of the top 500 Targeted Repetitive Loss Structures. From this list, Florida has 32 such structures located in 20 different communities. To date, the Department has assisted local communities with mitigating ten of the repetitive loss structures. Please note that each community appearing on this list, and who elects to apply, must indicate that each structure's owner was contacted regarding their interest in the program.
C. Phase Three - Target Repetitive Loss Areas: The balance of funds will be made available to all other eligible NFIP paticipating communities.
FUND ALLOCATION
Under Phase Three, project dollars shall be allocated using a multi-tiered approach, which takes into consideration: (1) the total number of losses per structure; (2) the cumulative value of those losses; and (3) whether the structure is a primary residence, a commercial building, or a secondary vacation home.
The Division shall attempt to fund at least one structure per community. If applications for more than one structure per community are received, funds shall be allocated according to the following criteria:
Criteria One - Number of Losses
1. Structures with four or more losses:
a. First priority will be given to primary residential structures.
b. Second priority will be given to commercial structures.
c. Third priority will be given to vacation homes, seasonal rentals, fish camps, etc.2. Structures with two or more losses in a ten-year period, where the cumulative payments have exceeded the property value:
a. First priority will be given to primary residential structures.
b. Second priority will be given to commercial structures.
c. Third priority will be given to vacation homes, seasonal rentals, fish camps, etc.3. Reducing the number of NFIP-insured repetitive loss structures with substantial damage:
a. First priority will be given to primary residential structures.
b. Second priority will be given to commercial structures.
c. Third priority will be given to vacation homes, seasonal rentals, fish camps, etc.4. Reducing the number of NFIP-insured repetitive loss structures with two or more losses in a ten-year period, where the cumulative payments do not exceed the fair market value of the structure:
a. First priority will be given to primary residential structures.
b. Second priority will be given to commercial structures.
c. Third priority will be given to vacation homes, seasonal rentals, fish camps, etc.Criteria Two - Value of Losses
The second criteria that will be considered is the cumulative value of losses per structure. For example, if a community submits two structures that have four or more losses, and both are primary residences, the structure that has the largest dollar value of losses (i.e., NFIP claims) shall be given priority consideration. Again, please note that the Division shall attempt to fund at least one project in each community, irrespective of Criteria Two.
FUNDING POLICIES
The following policies shall apply to all projects submitted for funding under the FMA Program:
1. All structures to be elevated using FMA funds must be elevated a minimum of two feet above the Base Flood Elevation Level (BFE). In unnumbered A-Zone, structures must be elevated four (4) feet above the highest adjacent grade.
2. Programs funds will not be used to elevate or retrofit structures located in the floodway as detailed on a community's Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM). FMA funds will be used only to acquire and/or relocate repetitive loss property.
3. For all FMA approved projects, the cost to elevate a repetitive loss structure cannot exceed the fair market value of the property.
4. FMA funds will not be used to retroactively fund flood mitigation projects.5. The Division does not encourage the funding of demolition/rebuild projects, as the value of the mitigation component of these is often difficult to determine. However, in those instances where a community proposes such a project, FMA will not exceed the fair market value of the property. Accordingly, the application for demolition/rebuild projects must include a certified appraisal.
6. Project funds shall not be used to correct illegally constructed structures. Any structure that has been designed as a Section "1316 structure" under the NFIP is not eligible for FMA funding.
MINIMUM ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
Eligible applicants are NFIP participating communities that have an adopted Flood Mitigation Plan or Local Mitigation Strategy (LMS) that has been approved by FEMA. If your community presently participates in the Community Rating System (CRS) Program and has an approved CRS Floodplain Management Plan, that plan will meet the FMA eligibility requirements for project funds.
Although the FMA Program is federally funded, it is administered through a partnership between the local, state, and federal governments. DEM administers the FMA Program and is responsible for receiving and reviewing FMA grant applications. However, all projects must be approved by FEMA.
If a structure is approved for funding, construction shall commence within 90 days of contract execution between the Division and the community.
COST-SHARE REQUIREMENTS
The FMA program is a cost reimbursement program. FEMA may contribute up to 75% percent of the total eligible project costs and the remaining 25% must be met by funds from a non-federal source. Of this 25%, no more than 12.5% can be provided as cash or in-kind services from a third party. Accordingly, this means that the homeowner must contribute at least 12.5% of his or her own funds (or labor) to the project. Although the regulations permit FEMA to fund up to 75% of eligible project costs, due to funding limitations, a homeowner may receive less than this amount. A summary of eligible and ineligible costs are listed in Attachment A.
APPLICATION DEADLINE AND WORKSHOPS
The deadline for submitting applications is March 30, 2002 (postmarked).
All proposed projects should be included in the county's LMS, or community's Flood Mitigation Plan. Please attach a letter of endorsement for the project from the county's LMS Chairman. However, under no circumstances will the Division accept an application directly from a home/business owner. Applications will only be accepted from eligible applicants, as defined on the previous page. Please provide four (4) complete copies of the application, which may be obtained on the DEM website, located at: http://www.dca.state.fl.us/brm. Alternatively, you may contact DEM directly at (850) 413-9959. Completed applications should be sent to the following address:Charles Speights - Flood Mitigation Assistance Program
Department of Community Affairs
Division of Emergency Management
2555 Shumard Oak Boulevard
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-2100Technical assistance workshops will also be conducted statewide according to the schedule listed in Attachment B. For your reference, we have also enclosed a list of Frequently Asked Questions in Attachment C that will help explain some of the issues that may be raised by interested home/business owners.
If you have specific questions regarding the program, please contact
Fred Peacock (850) 922-4077 or via e-mail: frederic.peacock@dca.state.fl.us or
Cornell Cummings (850) 922-4444 or via e-mail: cornell.cummings@dca.state.fl.us.Flood Mitigation Assistance Program Eligible/Ineligible Costs
Flood Mitigation Assistance Program Workshops