LIVE OAK, FLA., JUNE 28, 2024 – The Suwannee River Water Management District (District) this week was awarded the 2024 Outreach Award from the Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM) for its work during last year’s Santa Fe Flood Risk review.
The award was presented during the annual ASFPM conference in Salt Lake City. Leroy Marshall, the District’s Resource Management/Projects Division Director, was on hand to accept the award.
“The efforts of our staff increased public involvement and awareness of the development of these new flood maps, which helped lead to significantly less impacts on the residents of the District,” said Hugh Thomas, executive director of the District. “We are proud of the work that our team put into this complex review of flood zones in the Santa Fe River Basin and are happy that they were recognized with this award.”
Flood risk maps are reviewed periodically and the District, working with FEMA, last year began developing new maps for local communities to use in their planning and development, as well as educating property owners on their flood risk. Meetings to discuss changes to the flood maps for this region – which include certain areas of Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Columbia, Gilchrist, Suwannee, and Union counties – took place in February 2023.
To increase public involvement, the District boosted its outreach efforts to local residents, attending local government meetings with every town, city, and county involved, as well as producing a comprehensive media campaign, which included press releases, interviews, and social media posts to boost awareness.
The public comment obtained during this process helped spur the reevaluation of properties that would have been newly designated as flood zones.
Revisions to the proposed maps are still ongoing and are estimated to become effective in 2027.
The mission of the Suwannee River Water Management District is to protect and manage water resources using science-based solutions to support natural systems and the needs of the public. Headquartered in Live Oak, Florida, the District serves 15 surrounding north-central Florida counties.
For more information about the District, visit www.MySuwanneeRiver.com or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter.
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