Appeal Process Opens in Walton County for Preliminary Flood Maps

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DEFUNIAK SPRINGS – The 90-day appeal and comment period begins November 17, 2016 and concludes on February 15, 2017 for Walton County property owners and business owners wishing to challenge the preliminary Flood Insurance Rate Map and Flood Insurance Study reports issued earlier this year by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Preliminary copies of the revised Florida Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) and Flood Insurance Study (FIS) were provided to Walton County on March 16, 2016. Public open houses were held for residents on June 7, 2016 in Santa Rosa Beach and June 8, 2016 in DeFuniak Springs to review the preliminary maps, learn about their risk of flooding, and ask questions about what the new maps will mean for their property.

Digital copies of the revised FIRM and FIS report materials are available at http://portal.nwfwmdfloodmaps.com.

These reports include proposed flood hazard information for certain locations in the unincorporated areas of Walton County as well as the addition or modification of Special Flood Hazard Areas, the areas that would be inundated by the base (1-percent-annual-chance) flood; base flood elevations or depths; zone designations; or regulatory floodways.

Appeals are formal objections to proposed base flood elevations or flood depths. They can also be made to Special Flood Hazard Areas boundaries and zones or floodways. Appeals must be based on technical data showing proposed maps to be scientifically incorrect. Anyone making an appeal must include the method, data, and analysis used to support the claim.

Comments are objections to a base map feature change such as labels, incorrect roads, or jurisdictional boundaries. The public can send comments and appeals to Walton County Floodplain Manager, Aaron Craker, at craaaron@co.walton.fl.us, or contact via phone at 850-267-1955.  All information that is received will then be forwarded to FEMA for final resolution.