LIVE OAK, FLA., FEBRUARY 20, 2023 – Residents of seven North Central Florida counties are being alerted of potential flood zone changes and the Suwannee River Water Management District (District) is asking them to provide feedback at a series of meetings this week.
Three public meetings have been scheduled for residents to provide feedback.
- Tuesday, February 21 – Bradford County Courthouse in Starke – 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
- Wednesday, February 22 – James A. Lewis Commission Chambers in Alachua – 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
- Thursday, February 23 – Westside Community Center in Lake City – 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Residents who live in certain areas of Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Columbia, Gilchrist, Suwannee, and Union counties could be impacted by the updated Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) flood maps. This could result in changes to flood zones in some areas – some residents who do not currently live in flood zones could be moved into flood zones, and residents currently in flood zones could be moved out of those zones.
Flood zone designations can impact insurance rates.
Ahead of these meetings, the District is encouraging residents to look up the status of their property to see any proposed changes. They can do so by visiting the online web map and search by their address. Residents can also visit the virtual meeting room and follow the steps below to review possible changes to their property:
- Visit www.SRWMDFloodReport.com/Virtual
- Scroll to the SRWMD Flood Report tab
- Select the Santa Fe Watershed (ARCGIS), and search for their property address.
- Ensure the “Changes Since Last Effective” layer is turned on for their specific county to see projected changes. Areas in red are new additions into a flood zone; areas in green have been removed from a flood zone.
If residents see a proposed change to their property and do not agree with the flood risk status, they are encouraged to attend any of the three upcoming meetings, where representatives from the District and FEMA will be available to discuss the development of the flood risk maps for the region. Those unable to attend can submit feedback at this link for up to 30 days after the meetings.
Feedback received will be taken into consideration for the development of the preliminary maps, which are expected to be available to review later this year.
Additional information, including the presentation made at the meetings, can be found at www.SRWMDfloodreport.com/virtual.
The mission of the Suwannee River Water Management District is to protect and manage water resources using science-based solutions to support natural systems and the needs of the public. The District holds true to the belief of water for nature, water for people. Headquartered in Live Oak, Florida, the District serves 15 surrounding north-central Florida counties.
For more information about the District, visit www.MySuwanneeRiver.com or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter, search @SRWMD.
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