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County unveils flood vulnerability assessment funded by Resilient Florida grant; staff urged to prioritize projects for grants
Summary
A state‑funded vulnerability assessment inventorying critical infrastructure and transportation assets showed locations susceptible to rainfall‑driven flooding and put Marion County in position to seek implementation grants under the Resilient Florida program.
Marion County staff and consultant HAF Engineering presented the results of a Resilient Florida grant‑funded vulnerability assessment July 1, describing an inventory and modeling effort designed to identify county transportation, utilities and community assets exposed to flooding.
Stephen Cahoon, county engineer, said the county won a 100%‑funded FDEP planning grant (about $400,000) under the Resilient Florida program to produce the assessment. HAF’s Sean Layhoff described how the project updated watershed and ICPR (Stormwise) models, inventoried critical assets (transportation segments, wastewater and drinking‑water plants, emergency facilities, and conservation lands) and modeled current and future rainfall‑driven flood scenarios. The assessment focuses on unincorporated Marion County and selected municipalities; Ocala and Belleview conducted separate assessments.
Layhoff said the county now has a digital GIS repository that allows staff to zoom to the site level to evaluate flood depths and vulnerability metrics. The assessment produced a preliminary priority list of more than 100 vulnerable assets — including roadway segments and utility facilities — and recommended next steps: prioritize projects, pursue implementation grants (many of which the state funds at 100% for planning), and develop an adaptation plan that considers protection, accommodation, managed relocation or buyouts.
Why it matters: the Resilient Florida program is a major state funding source for mitigation projects; the assessment is a prerequisite for many implementation grants and gives the county a data‑driven basis for targeting transportation and infrastructure investments.
Next steps: staff told the board the county is eligible to apply for implementation funding and recommended pursuing adaptation planning and capital projects in priority order. Commissioners asked about coordination with regional planning councils and the timeline for grant applications; consultants said the East Central Florida Regional Planning Council and other regional partners can help align projects and grant strategies.
Ending: The board received the presentation; staff will use the assessment to pursue resilience grants and return with prioritized project recommendations.
