Emergency Management
Residential Home Mitigation Projects
FLOOD MITIGATION GRANTS PROGRAM
Are you interested in obtaining grant funds to elevate, demolish/ reconstruct, or sell your home that is prone to flooding?
Seminole County has the authority to apply for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) flood mitigation grant funds on behalf of homeowners to help with these costs. The most common approved project types are:
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Elevation
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Home Buyout (Acquisition/ Demolition)
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Demolition/ Reconstruction
Project interest forms can be submitted at any time to the Seminole County Office of Emergency Management and will be reviewed within 90 days by the Seminole County Resiliency Working Group.
CONTACT US
Kathryn Valentine – Mitigation Coordinator
Seminole County Office of Emergency Management
Email: kvalentine@seminolecountyfl.gov
Phone: 407-665-1012
Mailing Address
Seminole County Office of Emergency Management
150 Eslinger Way
Sanford, FL 32773
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
Flood mitigation grant funds for individual home elevation, acquisition, and reconstruction can be administered by the jurisdiction in which you reside, either County or incorporated cities. Individuals interested in applying for a mitigation grant cannot begin the work before a grant application has been submitted, reviewed, and approved by the applicable government agencies. This process can take many months or up to a few years, depending on the grant and project type.
Flood mitigation grant proposals are subject to approval by the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Their purpose is to aid private property owners in minimizing flood-related losses, particularly for properties with repetitive flood damage. To be eligible, applicants must either currently possess flood insurance, or obtain it at the start of the project, and commit to maintaining it indefinitely.
In Florida, flood mitigation assistance funds originate from FEMA and are implemented in collaboration with the FDEM (Florida Division of Emergency Management). FDEM holds the authority and responsibility for evaluating sub-applications from the County for hazard mitigation assistance funds, recommending viable and cost-effective sub-applications to FEMA, and providing funding for approved projects to eligible sub-applicants in (the County). In the event the application is awarded, the County then enters into a contract with the private property owners in order to reimburse homeowners for the costs associated with their approved project.
CONSIDERATIONS FOR HOMEOWNERS
Hazard Mitigation Assistance grant programs have many requirements and not all project costs are eligible, but the result can be a flood-resilient home.
Below are notable program requirements:
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Participation in the application process and grant program is voluntary.
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FEMA mitigation grants are reimbursement-style grants, meaning the project costs are spent initially, then reimbursed by FEMA through the State and the County to the homeowner as a reimbursement for the spent cost.
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To reduce or eliminate risk to NFIP-insured properties, FEMA prioritizes the mitigation of Severe Repetitive Loss (SRL) structures and Repetitive Loss (RL) structures over residential homes with no losses. We will show you how to find out whether your home is classified as SRL or RL. Contacting FEMA to obtain historical information on the official flood losses for your property is essential.
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Projects are generally approved for 75% Federal funding, meaning homeowners are reimbursed 75% of the total dollars spent on the approved project. If your structure is designated as a REPETITIVE LOSS (RL) or SEVERE REPETITIVE LOSS (SRL) property, FEMA may provide a higher Federal share for the approved project. Homeowners will be required to sign a Funds Commitment Letter for the non-Federal match.
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The grant only provides funding for eligible project costs. All eligible project costs, such as materials, labor, permits, and design should be part of the project budget that the private property owner submits to county staff.
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If you choose elevation, the home must be elevated 2 ft. above base flood elevation (BFE).
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If you choose demolition/reconstruction, the square footage (SF) of the resulting structure shall be no more than 10 percent greater than that of the original structure. For example, if your existing structure was 1,000 SF, then the new structure can be no more than 1,100 SF.
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Eligible demolition/ reconstruction costs are limited to a $150,000 Federal share per property. Some eligible activities, such as administrative allowances and permitting fees, need not be included in the $150,000 maximum Federal share.
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Flood insurance must be maintained for the life of the structure. Please note that once the home is elevated or rebuilt to flood requirements, the flood insurance cost is typically much less than a non-elevated home.
For more information and details on eligible costs, refer to FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Assistance Guidance Addendum or speak with a Seminole County representative.
Home Elevation Projects
(A home elevation budget is required as part of the application. Please work with your contractor to complete the “Home Elevation Budget” when submitting your home elevation interest)
(Mail Letter to FEMA Mapping and Insurance Exchange, 3601 Eisenhower Avenue, Suite 500, Alexandria, VA 22304-6426, or email it to fema-fmix@fema.dhs.gov Please attach the result to your application submission)
Home Demolition/ Reconstruction Projects
Mitigation reconstruction is the demolition of an existing structure with the construction of an improved, elevated building on the same site. Please provide the following information:
(Mail Letter to FEMA Mapping and Insurance Exchange, 3601 Eisenhower Avenue, Suite 500, Alexandria, VA 22304-6426 or email it to fema-fmix@fema.dhs.gov. Please attach the result to your application submission)
Property Acquisition and Structure Demolition Projects
Participation in property acquisition and structure demolition or relocation projects by property owners is voluntary. Please provide a certified appraisal of the home value and the following information:
(Mail Letter to FEMA Mapping and Insurance Exchange, 3601 Eisenhower Avenue, Suite 500, Alexandria, VA 22304-6426 or email it to fema-fmix@fema.dhs.gov. Please attach the result to your application submission)
Application Process
Individual property owners apply for funding through Seminole County. Seminole County is the applicant to the State of Florida. The County reviews all applications and after State review, they are submitted to FEMA for final approval. This is a lengthy process and may take several months or up to a few years. This is a competitive process and applicants could be required to submit multiple times.
Please provide the following information for your specific project listed above to:
Kathryn Valentine - Mitigation Coordinator
Seminole County Public Safety Building
150 Eslinger Way
Sanford, FL 32773
Call at (407)-665-1012
Or email: kvalentine@seminolecountyfl.gov
Next Steps:
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The required documents will be reviewed by the Seminole County Office of Emergency Management and presented at the next quarterly meeting of the Seminole County Resiliency Working Group. If selected to apply for an upcoming grant opportunity, SCOEM will work with you to develop a grant application to submit for State and FEMA review.
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Work on the project may only begin in coordination with Seminole County after an approved grant agreement is awarded to the private property owner. It is important that no construction happens prior to the award of the grant and the grant is made on a reimbursement basis.