Sumter Times

Sumter County issued the following announcement on Dec. 17.

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) is partnering with Sumter County (County) in gathering information to improve the identification of flood-prone areas within the County. Residents living in the Little Jones Creek/Wildwood watershed are invited to attend an open house on January 13, 2022, at 4 p.m. The meeting will take place at Wildwood Community Center, located at 6500 Powell Road, Wildwood, FL 34785.

For residents unable to attend the open house the District is also providing a virtual public comment period now through February 27th at WaterMatters.org/Floodplain for the public to view preliminary data for flood-prone areas within the Little Jones Creek/Wildwood watershed. The website will present preliminary data for flood-prone areas and the public will have the opportunity to submit comments.

After addressing the public comments, information will be finalized and presented to the District’s Governing Board for approval to use the data for regulatory purposes. This information is not currently being incorporated into the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps (DFIRMs); however, it may be used in future DFIRM updates.

The information which identifies areas prone to flooding can be used by local governments for land use and zoning decisions, to help manage development in and around floodplains and wetlands, to reduce flood risks, to preserve land and water resources, and for emergency planning. It will also provide valuable information to the public for decisions about purchasing and protecting property.

For more information or to find out which watershed you live in, please visit WaterMatters.org/Floodplain or call the District at (352) 796-7211, ext. 4297.

If you would like to provide any comments or request an individual map of your property showing these potential changes, please click on the link below. It will redirect you to the District’s website where you will be able to find more details about it.

Original source can be found here.