Watershed Planning Program
With the longest coastline in the contiguous United States and proximity of development, Florida is particularly vulnerable to tropical systems, storm surge, and other heavy rain events that contribute to flood risk. Due to the evolving frequency and severity of these natural hazards, resiliency in our communities is a priority for the State of Florida. As Florida continues to grow and evolve, the importance of well planned, smart development is at an all-time high.
The Watershed Planning Program, funded through a $26.6 million grant under the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), as approved by FDEM and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), has the purpose of creating standardized, cost-effective, and easily replicable Watershed Master Plans (WMP) or Stormwater Master Plans (SWMP) throughout the state of Florida. According to NFIP (2019), there are 1.77 million flood insurance policies in Florida, and a 5% discount in communities with large concentrations of flood insurance policy holders would result in cumulative yearly savings far exceeding the cost of the grant award.
According to the CRS Coordinator's Manual “the objective of watershed master planning is to provide the communities within a watershed with a tool they can use to make decisions that will reduce the increased flooding from development on a watershed-wide basis.”
Communities will be provided funding to complete a Watershed Master Plan, in accordance with FEMA’s standard practices for mitigation planning, for CRS purposes and will be prioritized based upon the information and data provided in the proposal.
Community Rating System (CRS)
The Community Rating System (CRS) scores NFIP communities by awarding credits for implementing higher floodplain management standards. Communities are graded along ten classes. A CRS Class 10 ranking provides no flood insurance discount, and a Class 1 ranking provides a 45% discount on flood insurance premiums for policyholders within that jurisdiction.
Importantly, CRS Class 5 communities cannot progress to a CRS Class 4 ranking without the creation and adoption of a Watershed Master Plan.
Due to this CRS Class barrier, the Watershed Planning Program was created to ensure Florida communities progress to better CRS Class rankings, which in turn would reduce flood insurance costs for Florida residents and enhance mitigation practices in communities vulnerable to flood risk exposure.
Stormwater Master Plan objective is to create a tool in which communities can assess and prioritize both existing and potential future stormwater problems. A SWMP is prepared to also consider alternative stormwater management solutions.
Communities will be provided funding to complete a Stormwater Master Plan, in accordance with FEMA’s standard practices for mitigation planning and will be prioritized based upon the information and data provided in the proposal.
Overview of Applicant Process:
1) Submit Notice of Proposal Form
2) Division will review and prioritize all proposals
3) Division will award in order of prioritization until funding has been exhausted
4) Sub-recipients will complete work within Period of Performance
5) Submit Final WMP or SWMP Deliverables and Requests for Reimbursement
*This program does not guarantee that a potential participant will move in CRS Class Rank once a WMP has been completed.
Applications will be open for submission beginning December 15, 2025, and ending close of business February 28, 2026.
Eligible applicants for this opportunity include:
- Units of Local Government
- Water Management Districts
- Intergovernmental Partnerships (e.g. Regional Planning Councils, Regional Water Management Authorities)
Applicants will need to submit the following documents to be considered for WMP Grant funding:
- Notice of Proposal Form (Application)
- CRS Points Spreadsheet - WMP specific only
- LMS Endorsement Letter
Submit Proposal to watershed email address; watershedplanning@em.myflorida.com
If you have any questions about the Watershed Planning Grant Program, please email watershedplanning@em.myflorida.com
