Community Planning and Resiliency

• Draft Collier County VA(PDF, 13MB)
• Draft Collier County VA Exposure Annex(PDF, 7MB)
• Public Meeting Presentation - January 08, 2025(PDF, 3MB)

Background

On July 8, 2022, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) announced the re-opening of Fiscal Year 2022-2023 Resilient Florida Program Planning grant applications for comprehensive vulnerability assessments that meet the requirements of F.S. 380.093. Vulnerability assessments measure the impact of sea level rise and identify the people, infrastructure, and land uses that may be affected. By using publicly available and reliable data, it is possible to identify the areas vulnerable to current and future sea level rise and related flooding.

In Fall of 2023, Collier County, in coordination with FDEP and awarded vendor, WSP, began steps towards completing our required VA. In Spring 2024, the Collier County VA Steering Committee was formed. The VA Steering Committee consists of various stakeholders derived from Collier County's Local Mitigation Strategy Working Group (LMSWG). WSP provided the VA Steering Committee with an extensive list of critical assets derived from the State of Florida for both Unincorporated and Incorporated Collier County. These assets were analyzed by the committee and submitted back to WSP for flood hazard scenario analysis, including exposure analysis and sensitivity analysis.

Draft VA Study & Public Participation

The Collier County VA Steering Committee held their required public meeting via in-person (Collier County Growth Management) and remote (via Teams) on January 8, 2025. The VA Steering Committee and the public can provide comments to the VA Steering Committee no later than 01/17/2025. The final VA meeting will be held at the following Date/Time/Location:

9:30am, Friday, January 17, 2025 (will be held concurrent to the 1st Quarterly LMSWG Meeting)

Joint Information Center
Collier County Emergency Services Center
3rd Floor
8075 Lely Cultural Pkwy
Naples, FL 34113

For questions or concerns, please contact William Lang at 239-252-1070 or william.lang@colliercountyfl.gov.

Agenda Meetings, Minutes and Presentations

• CSRM Project Status Presentation(PDF, 2MB)
• 11/8/2023 - CSRM Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes(PDF, 5MB)
• 7/26/2023 - CSRM Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes(PDF, 14MB)

Additional Information

• Advisory Board Page
• Coastal Storm Risk Management Feasibility Study

2024 Flood Protection Newsletter(PDF, 1MB)

The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) Community Rating System (CRS) was implemented in 1990 as a voluntary program for recognizing and encouraging community floodplain management activities that exceed minimum. The Community Rating System (CRS) is a voluntary incentive program that recognizes and encourages community floodplain management practices that exceed the minimum requirements of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Over 1,500 communities participate nationwide.

In CRS communities, flood insurance premium rates are discounted to reflect the reduced flood risk resulting from the community's efforts that address the three goals of the program:

1. Reduce and avoid flood damage to insurable property
2. Strengthen and support the insurance aspects of the National Flood Insurance Program
3. Foster comprehensive floodplain management

The CRS uses a Class rating system that is similar to fire insurance rating to determine flood insurance premium reductions for residents. CRS Classes are rated from 9 to 1. Today, most communities enter the program at a CRS Class 9 or Class 8 rating, which entitles residents in Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHAs) to a 5% discount on their flood insurance premiums for a Class 9 or a 10% discount for Class 8. As a community engages in additional mitigation activities, its property owners become eligible for increased NFIP policy premium discounts. Each CRS Class improvement produces a 5% greater discount on flood insurance premiums for properties in the SFHA.

A community accrues points to improve its CRS Class rating and receive increasingly higher discounts. Points are awarded for engaging in any of 19 creditable activities, organized under four categories:

1. Public Information
2. Mapping and Regulations
3. Flood Damage Reduction
4. Warning and Response

Benefits of the CRS Lower-cost flood insurance rates are only one of the rewards a community receives from participating in the CRS. Here are some other benefits:

• Citizens and property owners in CRS communities have increased opportunities to learn about risk, evaluate their individual vulnerabilities, and take action to protect themselves, as well as their homes and businesses.
• CRS floodplain management activities provide enhanced public safety, reduced damage to property and public infrastructure, and avoidance of economic disruption and loss.
• Communities can evaluate their flood programs against a nationally recognized benchmark.
• Technical assistance in carrying out some activities is available to community officials at no charge.
• CRS communities have incentives to maintain and improve their flood programs over time.

Collier County entered the Community Rating System in October of 1992. Collier County has attained a Class 5 rating which saves the community over $9 million in flood insurance premiums annually.

For more information about floodplain management programs: Visit FEMA's Community Rating System page