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Sebastian council adopts revised emergency-closure disaster wage policy to meet FEMA/FDEM requirements
Summary
The council unanimously adopted updates to the city's emergency-closure disaster wage policy to align with FEMA and FDEM rules and to maintain eligibility for immediate FROC reimbursements; changes include language cleanup and new operational requirements such as providing food to employees during declared emergencies.
The Sebastian City Council unanimously approved a revised emergency-closure disaster wage policy designed to align the city's procedures with FEMA and Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) requirements and to preserve eligibility for FROC (Florida Resilient Operational Continuity) reimbursements.
Karen Miller explained staff reviewed the city’s existing policy (in place since 2017) after Indian River County Emergency Operations Center staff warned that FEMA has clawed back reimbursements in other jurisdictions when local wage policies did not meet federal rules. The revisions reorganize language, add FROC-mandated elements and clarify implementation steps. Miller said one substantive change is an explicit requirement to provide food to employees during the emergency period, a condition of participation in the FROC program that allows the city to receive an immediate percentage reimbursement rather than waiting for full FEMA reimbursements.
City Manager Benton added that the city joined the FROC program and completed initial application steps, making the city eligible during the recent hurricane season but subject to additional operational requirements. Council member Nunn moved to approve the revised policy; Vice Mayor McPartland seconded and the motion carried unanimously.
Council requested the mayor sign the policy after council approval and directed staff to ensure documentation and operational procedures are in place to satisfy FDEM/FEMA audit requirements. The adopted policy is intended to protect reimbursement eligibility while clarifying staff responsibilities during declared disasters.
