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Commission accepts East County basin studies and may seek FEMA map revisions
Summary
Seminole County commissioners accepted four East County basin studies into service (Soldiers Creek, G Creek, Little Lake Howell and Lake Jessup), directed staff to continue a rolling basin‑study program and indicated willingness to pursue updated FEMA flood maps based on the county's new modeling.
The Seminole County Board on Dec. 9 accepted into service a set of basin studies for East County basins, moving the county closer to a consolidated stormwater master plan and updated flood‑inundation mapping.
John Slott, director of public works, and Joe LaFoster, chief design engineer, described studies covering Soldiers Creek, G Creek, Little Lake Howell and Lake Jessup. The presentation compared the county's updated hydraulic modeling against FEMA's 2007 FIRM maps, identified project concept areas and used Seminole County's prioritization rubric to rank mitigation concepts for future capital planning.
LaFoster said the county studied 13 of 16 basins in this program and will transition to an "always ready" approach to keep models current rather than a single large update. Staff proposed submitting study data to FEMA for map revisions (LOMAR process) and incorporating ranked projects into the county's stormwater master plan and CIP prioritization.
Commissioners asked about coordination with municipalities and Orange County. Slott said staff coordinates with cities when projects overlap and that some municipalities are seeking co‑funding for in‑city tanks; there is not yet full joint stormwater project commitment. Several commissioners urged the county to pursue FEMA map revisions to ensure residents have accurate floodplain information.
The board moved to accept the East County basin studies into service and authorized staff to pursue map‑revision options and to use the studies in future permitting and CIP planning.
Next steps: staff will present remaining basin groups in January, finalize the stormwater master plan in 2026, and, if the board directs, will lead or coordinate FEMA map revision processes with public engagement.
