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 the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), as approved by FDEM and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), has the purpose of funding Watershed Master Plans (WMP) or Stormwater Master Plans (SWMP) throughout the State of Florida.
According to the Community Rating System (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.”
Additionally, the objective of a Stormwater Master Plan 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.
Community Rating System
The Community Rating System (CRS) scores National Flood Insurance Program (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, Class 5 communities cannot progress to a 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.
Under the Watershed Planning Initiative, communities will be provided funding to complete a Watershed Master Plan or 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. Participation in this program does not guarantee that a community will move in CRS Class Rank once a WMP has been completed.
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.
Eligible applicants for this opportunity include:
- Units of Local Government
- Water Management Districts
- Intergovernmental Partnerships (e.g. Regional Planning Councils, Regional Water Management Authorities)
Project Deliverables:
In addition to the deliverables outlined in the Notice of Proposal Form (Application), there are requirements related to the Local Mitigation Strategy (LMS) Working Group and Plan. After a subgrant is awarded and completed, FDEM will require participating communities to submit their completed WMP and/or SWMP to the LMS Working Group to adopt and include as an annex to the LMS Plan. Additionally, all WMP shall be submitted to potentially receive CRS credit.
Apply
A Call for Proposals will be open for submission on December 2, 2024 and will close on January 31, 2025 at 5:00 PM EST. Submit Proposals and all required documentation to watershedplanning@em.myflorida.com on or before the deadline.
Applicants will need to submit the following documents to be considered for Watershed Planning Program grant funding, which can be found on the Watershed Planning Program SharePoint site:
- Notice of Proposal Form (Application)
- LMS Endorsement Letter
Additional Resources
If you have any questions about the Watershed Planning Grant Program, please email watershedplanning@em.myflorida.com.
