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Marion County to revise floodplain-management definitions after state review; public hearing set for July
Summary
County staff presented state-recommended changes to floodplain-management language in the Land Development Code tied to the National Flood Insurance Program and the Community Rating System. Commissioners set a July public hearing; staff said changes are intended to preserve the county's CRS rating and related insurance discounts.
Marion County commissioners on June 4 reviewed proposed revisions to floodplain-management language in the county Land Development Code that staff said were required by state reviewers to maintain the county's Community Rating System (CRS) standing under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). The commission voted to schedule the item for a public hearing in July.
County staff said the state and its consultant reviewed the county's floodplain regulations and recommended specific definition and code-language changes. Without the revisions, the county would not meet the criteria to remain at its current CRS rating; staff said Marion County currently holds a CRS rating of 7 and expects the revisions to allow continued or improved scoring (staff said a future re-evaluation could yield a score of 6).
Assistant/deputy planning staff described the effect of CRS to commissioners: "What that is is a program for the National Flood Insurance Program ... for folks that live in the flood zone, if they get insurance through the NFIP ... we provide a discount ... a 15% discount on their flood insurance," according to staff remarks during the meeting.
Key proposed changes discussed by staff included: - Revisions to definitions in Article 1, Division 2, and to Article 5, Division 3 (Floodplain Management) to align language with state/NFIP expectations, including a state-prescribed definition of "market value" that the state indicated it would accept and would not accept alternate wording. - Clarifications that several manufactured-home definitions are not being used for floodplain regulation in the same way as other county code sections. - Striking the term "program deficiency," which staff said is no longer used by the NFIP system, and simplifying the definition of "structure" to align with the Florida Building Code. - A manufactured-home elevation requirement tied to base flood elevation (BFE) plus 1 foot to ensure the home's underframe and ventilation remain above expected flood levels.
Staff stressed the county must meet NFIP/CRS requirements for the benefit of residents with mortgage-required flood insurance. One staff member said mortgage companies generally require NFIP coverage where mortgages affect properties in mapped floodplains, making maintenance of the CRS program necessary for insurance discounts.
After public comment was closed (no members of the public spoke on the item), Commissioner Stone moved to schedule the next public hearing in July at 5:30 p.m.; Commissioner McLean seconded the motion. The commission approved the schedule unanimously.
Staff said the specific language changes were provided by the state and that some LDRC members pushed back on certain phrasings (chiefly the market-value definition). The item will return to the board for public comment and formal adoption after the July hearing.
