AGENDA REPORT
DATE: August 11, 2025
TO: City Commission
FROM: Bill McDaniel, City Manager
SUBJECT: Adoption of the 2025 Update to the Local Mitigation Strategy and Hillsborough County's Program for Public Information
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
The Local Mitigation Strategy (LMS) is a federally required, jurisdictional-wide natural hazard mitigation plan updated every five years to maintain eligibility for FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) funding. The LMS outlines strategies and prioritized projects to reduce the Hillsborough County's vulnerability to hazards. The City of Plant City adopted the previous Local Mitigation Strategy 2020 Update on July 27, 2020. Hillsborough County adopted the LMS 2025 update on July 16, 2025.
The LMS 2025 Update was developed through a collaborative process involving Hillsborough County, the cities of Tampa, Temple Terrace, and Plant City, along with local agencies, stakeholders, and the public. The Update received conditional approval from the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), with final approval contingent upon Board adoption.
The LMS 2025 Update also supports the Hillsborough County's participation in the National Flood Insurance Program's (NFIP) Community Rating System (CRS), post-disaster redevelopment efforts.
The Hillsborough County Program for Public Information (PPI) is a new and updated tool to improve communication and provide additional resources on flood hazards, flood safety, flood insurance, and other floodplain-related topics. The PPI was introduced by the Federal Emergency Management Agency as a planning tool to provide a step-by-step coordinated strategy for flood hazard outreach. By adopting the PPI, the County can effectively provide information on this topic and obtain additional CRS credit that would otherwise be unavailable.
The adoption of the PPI provides the County with opportunities to improve its CRS rating. An improved CR...
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