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DeLand hears Resilient Florida-funded vulnerability assessment; staff given materials to pursue grants
Summary
City staff and consultants presented a state-funded flood vulnerability assessment and adaptation plan funded through the Resilient Florida program. The study inventories city assets, models future rainfall scenarios, identifies four focus areas and gives the city a geodatabase and maps to pursue implementation grants.
City of DeLand officials on Feb. 17 received the results of a state-funded vulnerability assessment and adaptation plan intended to help the city prioritize flood-mitigation projects and apply for implementation grants.
The assessment was funded by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection through the Resilient Florida program; consultant Sean Lahav of HAF told the commission the project was covered by grant funds and required no city expenditure. "We followed the statutory requirements to a T," Lahav said during the presentation.
The study inventoried every publicly maintained asset in DeLand, built a detailed HEC‑RAS model and a new rainfall model, and produced dozens of flood maps and a ranked spreadsheet of assets by vulnerability. Lahav identified four focus areas: the downtown historic district; the city's water reclamation facility and drainage near the Orange Camp Road entrance; Orange Camp Road as a transportation asset in surrounding residential areas; and the Cross Creek and Mallory Square private residential neighborhoods.
Why it matters: the reports are intended to position DeLand to apply for state and federal implementation funding. Lahav said Resilient Florida provides planning dollars and larger implementation grants — "roughly $20 million annually for planning projects and a minimum of $100 million for implementation" — and that the state had already awarded roughly $1.4 billion to implementation projects elsewhere in Florida.
The adaptation plan offers a menu of strategies grouped under protection (for example, flood walls or gates), accommodation (elevating structures, rain gardens), managed relocation and conservation of upstream lands that provide natural flood benefits. Lahav highlighted a newly announced Florida program that may cover a high portion of residential property elevations: "the state of Florida is offering to pay up to 75% of property elevations for private homeowners," he said, and noted the city should consider multiple funding sources including FEMA and other federal grants.
City staff will receive final PDF reports and access to a GIS geodatabase containing attribute information (year built, asset types, locations) that Lahav said could be used across departments for grant applications, comprehensive-plan updates and capital projects. Lahav said final compliance letters from DEP had already been issued and the reports were in final internal review; he expected the city to receive deliverable-acceptance letters imminently.
Commission discussion covered whether new infrastructure or regional growth was contributing to local flooding; Lahav and several commissioners urged continued coordination with the St. Johns River Water Management District, Volusia County and the East Central Florida Regional Planning Council. City staff and Lahav emphasized that implementation — not simply producing reports — will determine whether the study reduces local flood risk.
The consultant left contact information for follow-up questions (email in the meeting record: slahov@half.com). The city manager said staff will use the study to prioritize implementation projects and pursue available grant funding.
