Open house on Floodplain Management Plan scheduled

County to host open house on Floodplain Management Plan update

SARASOTA COUNTY - Sarasota County will have an open house on Monday, March 5, to collect additional public input on the county's Floodplain Management Plan update.

Since August 2016, Sarasota County has been working with a consultant to update its Floodplain Management Plan, which helps identify flood safety initiatives following the Federal Emergency Management Agency's updated criteria. The plan promotes awareness of the floodplain, assesses flooding issues and sets goals to make the community more resilient to flooding.

On Monday, March 5, from 4:30-6:30 p.m., the public will have a chance to comment on the plan at the open house at Suncoast Technical College, 4748 Beneva Road, Sarasota. Attendees can go to scgov.net (keywords: Floodplain Management Plan) to download and review the draft plan before the meeting. Comments can also be submitted to dabailey@scgov.net.

Sarasota County staff as well as representatives from the Southwest Florida Water Management District will be present to discuss the proposed plan and answer questions.

The three main improvements in the updated plan are the organization of community resources to reduce or eliminate flood risks to people and property, the identification of strategies prior to a hazardous flooding event to reduce the impacts of a disaster and the identification of priority projects and programs with funding resources to manage the floodplain.

For more information, call the Sarasota Contact Center at 941-861-5000.