Commissioners press for floodplain enforcement, consider hiring floodplain manager

County commissioners spent an extended portion of the meeting on floodplain management after a commissioner reported concerns about fill and suspected illegal dumping in a Leon River tributary. Commissioners and county staff clarified that placing fill in a regulatory floodway can violate the county's floodplain ordinance and that the county lacks a designated floodplain manager to process permits and enforce compliance.

The county attorney and staff said the county's flood-damage-prevention ordinance (order 2010-001) was adopted to maintain compliance with the National Flood Insurance Program. Commissioners discussed options including contracting for floodplain-management services to inspect alleged violations, reviewing and updating the ordinance, and designating a certified floodplain manager or retaining engineering support. "We have floodplain ordinance in place. We have a floodplain manager," one official said during the discussion while noting current staffing gaps for permit processing and enforcement. The court asked staff to pull the ordinance for review and return with clearer role definitions and potential costs for contracting services.