Walton County floodplain manager outlines stormwater rules, watershed plan for coastal dune lakes

Tracy Goodhart, Walton County floodplain manager, told the Coastal Dune Lake Advisory Board that the county participates in the National Flood Insurance Program’s Community Rating System and currently holds a Class 6 rating, which yields about a 20% discount on active NFIP policies.

Goodhart said the county is mid-cycle in a 2025 CRS audit and is pursuing a watershed master plan and other activities intended to improve resiliency and move Walton County toward a Class 4 rating, which she said would correspond to roughly a 30% discount. "The community rating system is a voluntary program and it provides a framework that improves overall flood plain management," Goodhart said.

The presentation laid out how floodplain management, long-range planning and regulations interact with site-level stormwater requirements inside the county’s Coastal Dune Lake Protection Zone. Goodhart summarized current local standards: new development or redevelopment within the protection zone must preserve 60% of the 300-foot preservation area; clearing of native vegetation in that area cannot exceed 50%; no construction or clearing is allowed within 100 feet of the mean high water line; and seawalls, bulkheads, revetments and riprap are prohibited in the…