County staff brief council on stormwater mitigation funding, LMS update and new public website

Volusia County emergency management and public works staff briefed the council Aug. 5 on the county’s updated Local Mitigation Strategy (LMS) and related public information tools designed to improve resilience and help secure post‑disaster mitigation funding. Why it matters: An approved LMS is a condition for eligibility for FEMA mitigation grants such as the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program; maintaining that approval keeps the county eligible for federal disaster‑recovery and mitigation dollars. What staff said: Emergency Management Director Clint Meacom told the council the LMS renewal is a five‑year requirement from the state and FEMA and that the county’s LMS has been approved, keeping the county positioned to pursue mitigation funding. County Manager George Retnemel and Public Works representatives described a new public stormwater webpage with regularly updated information on county crews, canal clearing, and capital projects; staff also announced a monthly “stormwater” email newsletter for residents. Public engagement and next steps: Councilmembers praised staff’s new public outreach and urged residents to use county channels rather than social media for stormwater status updates. Staff said they will continue to update the LMS project priorities through the citizen committee process and post capital project information and after‑action updates to the county site. Ending: Staff asked the public to sign up for the new stormwater newsletter and pledged continued coordination with municipal partners and state agencies on larger capital projects and permitting.