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St. Johns County Local Mitigation Strategy Prepared By: St. Johns County LMS Working Group and St. Johns County Emergency Management ST. JOHNS COUNTY LOCAL MITIGATION STRATEGY Originally Adopted By the St. Johns County Local Mitigation Strategy Working Group 2004 Most Current Update and Adoption 2020 Revisions and updates made by the St. Johns County Local Mitigation Strategy Working Group since the last FEMA approval: May 2015 July 2016 February 2017 November 2017 September 2019 February 2020 April 2020 St. Johns County Local Mitigation Strategy U. S. Department of Homeland Security Region IV 3003 Chamblee Tucker Road Atlanta, GA 30341 June 8, 2020 Mr. Miles Anderson State Hazard Mitigation Officer Division of Emergency Management 2555 Shumard Oak Boulevard Tallahassee, Florida 32399-2100 Reference: Local Mitigation Strategy: St. Johns County Dear Mr. Anderson: We are pleased to inform you that the St. Johns County FL Local Mitigation Strategy (LMS) Plan Update is in compliance with the Federal hazard mitigation planning requirements resulting from the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 as contained in 44 CFR 201.6. This plan is approved for a period of five (5) years to June 1, 2025. This letter is to confirm that the following jurisdictions are approved under the St. Johns County FL Local Mitigation Strategy Update in accordance with Program Administration by States (PAS) requirements, effective June 1, 2020 as follows: Submitted and originally approved as of June 1, 2020 which established the five-year period for the Plan: • City of St. Augustine Beach Jurisdictions added as of June 8, 2020: • St. Johns County, Unincorporated • City of St. Augustine The approved participating jurisdictions are hereby eligible applicants through the State for the following mitigation grant programs administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA): • Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) • Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) • Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) participation is required for some programs. We commend the participants in the St. Johns County FL LMS Plan Update for the development of a solid, workable plan that will guide hazard mitigation activities over the coming years. Please note that all requests for funding will be evaluated individually according to the specific eligibility and other requirements of the particular program under which the application is submitted. For example, a specific mitigation activity or project identified in the plan may not meet the eligibility requirements for FEMA funding, and even eligible mitigation activities are not automatically approved for FEMA funding under any of the aforementioned programs. www.fema.gov We strongly encourage each community to perform an annual review and assessment of the effectiveness of their hazard mitigation plan; however, a formal plan update is required at least every five (5) years. We also encourage each community to conduct a plan update process within one (1) year of being included in a Presidential Disaster Declaration or of the adoption of major modifications to their local Comprehensive Land Use Plan or other plans that affect hazard mitigation or land use and development. When the plan is amended or revised, it must be resubmitted through the State as a “plan update” and is subject to a formal review and approval process by our office. If the plan is not updated prior to the required five (5) year update, please ensure that the draft update is submitted at least six (6) months prior to expiration of this plan approval. The State and the participants in the St. Johns County FL LMS should be commended for their close coordination and communications with our office in the review and subsequent approval of the plan. If you or St. Johns County have any questions or need any additional information please do not hesitate to contact Gabriela Vigo, of the Hazard Mitigation Assistance Branch, at (229) 225-4546 or Darlene Booker, of my staff, at (770) 220-5404. Sincerely, Kristen M. Martinenza, P.E., CFM Branch Chief Risk Analysis FEMA Region IV Current Participating Agencies City of St. Augustine Fire Department City of St. Augustine Planning and Building City of St. Augustine Police Department City of St. Augustine Beach Public Works Diversified Engineering International, Inc. Flagler Estates Road and Water District Flagler Hospital Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services – Florida Forest Service Northeast Florida Regional Council St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners St. Johns County Emergency Management St. Johns County Engineering Department St. Johns County Fire and Rescue St. Johns County Department of Health St. Johns County Planning Department St. Johns County Public Works St. Johns County Road and Bridge Department St. Johns County School District St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office St. Johns County Utilities Department University of Florida – IFAS Extension Founding Participating Agencies Anastasia Mosquito Control District City of St. Augustine City of St. Augustine Beach Diversified Engineering International, Inc. Flagler College Flagler Estates Road and Water District Northeast Florida Regional Council St. Johns County Airport Authority St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners St. Johns County Building Department St. Johns County Department of Emergency Management St. Johns County Fire/Rescue St. Johns County Department of Health St. Johns County Planning Department St. Johns County Property Appraisers Office St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office St. Johns County Utilities Department Town of Hastings St. Johns County Local Mitigation Strategy St. Johns County Local Mitigation Strategy Table of Contents Section I - Introduction A. Local Mitigation Strategy 1 B. Planning Process 1 C. Community Participation 3 D. Private Sector Participation 3 E. Use and Incorporation of Existing Documents 4 F. Incorporation of LMS into other Documents 4 G. Reevaluation Criteria 6 H. Submission of Plan to SHMO 6 I. Conflict Resolution 7 Section II - Goals and Guiding Principles A. Goals 8 B. Guiding Principles 8 *Guiding Principles Matrix 10 C. Government Coordination 32 Section III - Hazard Identification and Vulnerability Assessment A. County Description 34 B. Population and Housing 34 C. Income and Earnings 35 D. Land Uses and Development Trends 35 - County Future Land Use Map - 1 36 E. Hazards Identification and Impacts 37 1. Hurricanes and Tropical Storms 37 a. Storm Surge 39 b. High Winds 41 - Storm Surge Inundation Zones Map – 2 42 2. Severe Weather 43 a. Severe Thunderstorm/Lightning 43 b. Tornadoes 44 3. Flooding 46 a. Floodplains 47 - St. Johns County Flood Zones Map - 3 48 b. Coastal Flooding 49 4. Wildfires 50 - St. Johns County Land Use/Land Cover Map - 4 52 5. Human Caused Hazards 51 a. Hazardous Materials 51 b. Terrorism 53 -Critical Facilities Map 54 6. Drought/Heat Wave 55 7. Winter Storm/Freeze 56 St. Johns County Local Mitigation Strategy F. Summary 57 Section IV – Vulnerability and Loss Estimates A. Repetitive Loss Data 60 -Repetitive Loss Table 61 B. Critical Facilities Inventory 62 C. Vulnerable Structures, Systems and Populations 63 1. Hurricanes and Tropical Storms 64 High Winds 64 Storm Surge 66 2. Severe Weather 69 Severe Thunderstorm/Lightning 69 Tornadoes 71 3. Flooding 71 Floodplains 72 Coastal Flooding 72 4. Wildfires 72 5. Human Caused Hazards 74 Hazardous Materials 74 Terrorism 75 6. Drought/Heat Wave 75 7. Winter Storm/Freeze 76 - SJC Property Values Table 76 D. Future Vulnerable Facilities and Loss Estimates 77 - Development of Regional Impact Map - 5 78 - Development of Regional Impact Table 79 Section V – Initiative Development and Selection A. Project Selection and Submission Criteria 80 B. Scoring and Prioritization 80 C. Project Prioritization Methodology 81 - Point System Methodology Table 86 D. Project Implementation 85 Section VI - Mitigation Initiatives A. Mitigation Initiatives 87 B. Completed, Deleted, and Deferred Mitigation Initiatives 87 - Completed, Deleted, and Deferred Mitigation Initiatives Table 87 Section VII - Funding A. Potential Funding Sources 91 - Funding Sources Table 91 St. Johns County Local Mitigation Strategy Appendices Appendix A – Hazards Quick Reference Table Appendix B – References Appendix C – Dispute Resolution Document Appendix D – Resolutions Appendix E – LMS Legal Notices, Meeting Minutes, and Sign-in Sheets Appendix F – Project Table Appendix G – Local Mitigation Strategy Working Group Bylaws Appendix H – Florida Forest Service St. Johns County Wildfire Addendum St. Johns County Local Mitigation Strategy Section I - Introduction A. Local Mitigation Strategy In the spring of 1998, the Florida Department of Community Affairs (DCA) initiated a program to assist local governments in developing plans to reduce or eliminate risks to people and property from natural and human caused hazards. This program is known as the Local Mitigation Strategy or the LMS. Hazard Mitigation has gained increased attention over the years due to the large number of natural hazards which have occurred throughout the world and in the U.S. in particular. A main area of concern is the rapid rise in the costs associated with disaster recovery. It has become apparent that money spent prior to an event to harden the community and reduce the impacts of a disaster can result in substantial savings in life and property following the event. The benefit cost ratios are extremely advantageous. As a result, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the
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