Local Mitigation Strategy

Local Mitigation Strategy Working Group

Local Mitigation Strategy (LMS) is a plan that anticipates damage and disruption that could result from a hurricane or other disaster and then determines how best to eliminate or at least reduce this damage. The LMS Working Group is a coalition of representatives who work together to identify risks and to set priorities for addressing these risks.

Once these priorities have been determined by the Planning Group and put on a Master Initiatives List, the county is eligible for the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) funding through Florida’s Division of Emergency Management (FDEM). Grant funds are intended to bring mitigation projects to fruition that would end up on a wish list otherwise. Part of Monroe County’s eligibility for this grant money is determined by meeting its requirement to facilitate LMS working group meetings.

The LMS working group had begun the process to revise the Master Initiatives list in April 2017. Five months later, Hurricane Irma struck the Florida Keys, highlighting the importance of having a Local Mitigation Strategy and provided urgency to the revision process.

The full group met in October 2017 and January 2018. The initiatives ranking sub-group met three times from March through May 2018 to prioritize the projects that had been submitted in February.

The full group approved the 2018 Master Initiatives List and discussed the next steps regarding the HMGP process and other issues.

The group submitted Hurricane Irma’s HMGP grant applications in August 2018. These are being reviewed and then potentially awarded by the Florida Department of Emergency Management and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

FEMA is expected to announce funding through the Flood Mitigation Assistance program and the Pre-Disaster Mitigation Assistance program. All funding is subject to availability.

Current Local Mitigation Strategy Plan

The LMS Plan is updated every five years.

2021 Local Mitigation Plan - Final

Public Meetings

Join us for the next meeting of the Monroe county Local Mitigation Strategy Working Group will be held via Zoom on September 20, 2023, at 11:00 A.M. Click here for details.

Recent Meetings

Find recaps of recent meetings:

Participants

Active participants include co-chair Mimi Young and members of the Monroe County BOCC, all five municipalities in Monroe County, Monroe County School District, State and Federal government, utilities, nonprofit organizations, representatives from businesses, and the public.

Local Mitigation Strategy