A couple of months ago I posted information on the proposed flood map changes and how to protest the changes. Several folks in the neighborhood have since contacted me to find out how to protest the changes. I found this info on the county web-site...

Flood Risk Protest / Appeal Status

Update as of March 2007: The official Public Comment Period has ended as of February 28, 2007. If a resident wants to still request a correction to the proposed map if they have better data, they can go through a process called Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA). Residents are encouraged to do this as soon as possible in order to have an exemption considered as part of this map update process. For more information, contact the County's Hazard Mitigation section at: (813) 272-5600.

Protests and appeals that were filed are currently being reviewed by County staff and will be forwarded onto FEMA for a final decision. You will be notified of the final decision to your protest or appeal by April or May 2007. The maps are currently projected to become effective in Fall 2007.



By Shannon

Update to Flood Maps

This update if from the Hillsborough County website:

Update as of August 2007: The official Public Comment Period has ended as of February 28, 2007. If a resident wants to still to request a correction to the proposed map if they have better data, they can go through a process called Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA). Residents are encouraged to do this as soon as possible in order to have an exemption considered as part of this map update process. For more information, contact the County's Hazard Mitigation section at: (813) 272-5600.
The County also has finished reviewing all protests and appeals to the preliminary maps, and have submitted them to FEMA for final recommendation. The planned effective date of these maps has been moved back from Fall 2007 to Fall 2008, and these maps are still considered draft until that time. For more information on the process, read the Project Update fact sheet ( PDF, 56KB ) .

New Flood Maps Available

The new flood maps are available at http://www.hillsboroughcounty.org/pgm/hazardmit/floodMap/home.cfm

As of November 2007: The County has received the updated preliminary maps from FEMA that incorporates all of the approved appeals, protests and changes that were submitted earlier this year. The new maps have been posted on this website. You can review the new preliminary maps when they are posted by clicking on the ''Proposed Flood Map Viewers'' link on the left-hand side of this page. The planned effective date also has been moved back from Fall 2007 to Fall 2008, and these maps are still considered draft until that time.

If after reviewing this updated map, you still feel the flood map boundaries are incorrect on your property, you can apply for a Letter of Map Amendment. A Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) is a federal document that identifies that there should be no flood insurance requirement placed on the mortgage holder's property because the primary structure and all attached areas (screen enclosures, garages, etc) are out of the high-risk area. Elevation certificates or other documents may be used to demonstrate that the structure and the lowest adjacent grade are above the proposed flood elevation or that the footprint of the structure is not within the horizontal boundary of the high-risk area. To learn more about the LOMA process, you can contact County Building Services staff at 813-272-5600 or visit the FEMA website: http://www.fema.gov/plan/prevent/fhm/ot_lmreq.shtm


By Bob Iocca