St. Augustine holds FEMA Flood Mitigation Assistance workshop; homeowners urged to submit packets by Oct. 1

City of St. Augustine staff and consultant Quality Engineering and Surveying (QES) held a public workshop to explain the federal Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) grant process, eligibility and timeline for the fiscal 2025 cycle. QES representative Zach outlined application requirements, funding priorities and homeowner documentation the city must collect if residents want to be considered.

The workshop is intended to prepare homeowners for the competitive, nationwide FMA grant. "The main requirement of this grant is that you do have to have a national flood insurance program or NFIP flood insurance policy," Zach said, noting a policy typically takes about 30 days to take effect and must be in place before the application period opens. Participants were told the Notice of Funding Opportunity for fiscal 2025 had not yet been posted at the time of the presentation.

The grant prioritizes properties with repetitive loss histories. Zach described two mitigation activities eligible under the FMA program: elevation (raising a home to at least 2 feet above the base flood elevation, BFE) and reconstruction (demolishing and rebuilding to the higher elevation standard). He said funds available for demolition and reconstruction work are limited to $220,000 per property. "Whenever you build a new home, tear it down and rebuild it, it can't be a larger, grander, bigger home. It has to be within 10 percent of the preexisting footprint," Zach said.

Funding shares differ by loss category: severe repetitive loss properties were described as eligible for 100% federal funding; repetitive loss properties were described as 90% federally funded with a 10% homeowner match; other properties may receive lesser federal shares (described during the workshop as 75%/25% in some cases). Zach explained FEMA uses a cost-effectiveness calculation (a benefit-cost ratio based on predefined benefits) across the full application to determine whether the package of included properties is eligible for funding.

Applicants must submit a homeowner packet with required documents, Zach said. Required materials include an elevation certificate (EC) showing flood zone and elevation height, four pre-construction photos, a duplication-of-benefits disclosure for prior federal assistance, and an acknowledgement of conditions noting that flood insurance must be maintained on the property after mitigation. QES said a previously issued elevation certificate will generally be accepted for application purposes, but new elevation certificates will be required during the construction phase to confirm final heights.

QES explained how it estimates costs: the consultant uses a square-foot multiplier to estimate elevation costs and includes engineering, permits and other eligible expenses. The city and QES submit a single application that bundles multiple properties; that application is reviewed by the state entity (identified in the workshop as FDM) and then routed to FEMA via the FEMA GO portal. Zach described a multi-stage timeline in which state review takes place in late fall, federal review follows, and a selection that advances to "further review" does not constitute final approval. QES projected a realistic schedule: homeowner packet submissions by Oct. 1, 2025; state deadline in November; federal selection/notification months later; and if approved, construction activity could be implemented in a multi-year timeframe, with 2025 applications possibly reaching implementation by about 2028.

Workshop attendees asked practical questions. One asked whether an older elevation certificate would be acceptable; Zach replied that an older EC can be used to demonstrate zone and elevation for application purposes but that new ECs will be required if a project moves to construction. Another attendee asked whether elevating a house would reduce flood insurance premiums; Zach said homeowners should take the final elevation certificate to their insurer to discuss rate changes but that the consultant could not guarantee premium reductions because insurance ratings are set by insurers and have been changing. On whether properties could be raised higher than 2 feet above BFE, Zach said the state prefers the 2-foot standard and the city and QES were still discussing how higher elevations would be treated administratively.

QES invited interested homeowners to sign in and said homeowner packets could be submitted electronically or as paper copies at the city; the consultant offered to distribute packet materials to attendees who provided contact information. Jessica, the city's chief resilient officer, said the city posts workshop materials and recordings on its website and noted a separate workshop had been held for St. Johns County the previous day.

The presentation and Q&A provided residents with the eligibility rules, documentation checklist and a conservative timeline but did not include a final application period date or detail certain figures that were discussed onstage (see clarifying details). The city and QES encouraged residents with potentially eligible properties to prepare documentation early and to contact QES or city staff for packet delivery instructions and follow-up questions.