| Background on the Flood Map Update in Hillsborough County
Important changes are occurring in Hillsborough County. A multi-year project to re-examine flood zones and develop detailed digital flood hazard maps is nearing completion. Water flow and drainage patterns have changed significantly in the 25 years since the first Flood Hazard Maps were produced in Hillsborough County. These changes are related to erosion, land use, and other natural forces. However, the County's existing Flood Hazard Maps have not kept up with these changes and therefore don't reflect the County's current flood risks.
In response to this need, the County and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), in cooperation with the cities of Tampa, Temple Terrace, and Plant City and various community partners, have revised the Flood Hazard Maps (also known as Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps). The new maps are preliminary maps and will not affect insurance costs or requirements until the become effective on August 28, 2008. These updated digital flood maps will allow property owners to make better financial decisions about protecting themselves and their property. The maps also will help community officials, engineers, builders and others to make important determinations about where and how new structures and developments should be built. As a result, Hillsborough County will be a safer place to live.
Owners or tenants of commercial or multi-unit properties, such as apartment complexes or business parks, should be aware that they did not receive notification letters from the County in 2006 when letters were distributed to affected single-family residences and will need to review the maps themselves to see if a change has occurred to their property. Not all areas of Hillsborough County are included in this flood map update or will be using these new maps, including the coastal areas, City of Tampa, Temple Terrace, Plant City. Read more about these exceptions ( PDF, 16KB ) .
As of February 2008: Hillsborough County has received verification from the Federal Emergency Management Agency that a Letter of Final Determination (LFD) was issued on February 28, 2008. The LFD is a milestone that indicates that all revisions to the flood maps from the protest and appeal period have been incorporated and that the map panels and accompanying Flood Insurance Study are in their final format. The final maps are available on this website in their final format for review. The maps will become effective for regulating development and for flood insurance purposes six months from the date of LFD issuance. This means that the new maps will become effective August 28, 2008.
The public meeting and comment period has ended for this map update process. But if after reviewing the 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.
For more information on the flood map update project, read the Project Update Fact Sheet ( PDF, 27KB ) from November 2007 or call the Citizen Action Center at (813) 272-5900.
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