In an effort to improve public safety and protect Doral’s buildings, properties, and residents, the City of Doral recently conducted a Community Rating System (CRS) 510 Progress Report for Fiscal Year 2018.
The objective of the CRS Activity 510, Floodplain Management Planning, is to credit the production of an overall strategy of programs, projects, and measures which will reduce the adverse impact of the hazard on the community and help meet other community needs.
This year’s annual report concluded that all of the flood protection projects scheduled for completion this fiscal year were successfully completed. Funding for projects currently in the planning or construction phase has been secured.
To meet the important objectives, CRS participating communities must develop and implement a “Community Floodplain Management Plan” to address repetitive losses in the community, flood related hazards threating public safety and welfare, and protect property and businesses from flooding.
The city’s plan recognizes the activities and requirements associated with the floodplain management planning, repetitive loss area analyses, and natural floodplain function planning set forth in Activity 510.
The benefits associated with this plan include:
• Identify existing and future flood-related hazards and their causes;
• Ensure that a comprehensive review of all possible activities and mitigation measures is conducted so that the most appropriate solutions will be implemented to address the hazard;
• Ensure that the recommended activities meet the goals and objectives of the community are in coordination with land use and comprehensive planning, do not create conflicts with other activities, and are coordinated so that the costs of implementing individual activities are reduced;
• Ensure that the criteria used in community land use and development programs account for the hazards faced by existing and new development;
• Educate residents and property owners about the hazards, loss reduction measures, and the natural and beneficial functions of floodplains;
• Build public and political support for activities and projects that prevent new problems, reduce losses, and protect the natural and beneficial functions of floodplains; and
• Build a constituency that wants to see the plan’s recommendations implemented.
The report was prepared through a collaborative effort by the city’s Floodplain Management Team, including key personnel from Doral’s Building, Public Works, and Planning & Zoning Departments. It was presented to the mayor and city council January 9.
