Submitted By: Austin Cash
presenter
Presentation By: Sean Lanier
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Department: Engineering
FORMAL TITLE:
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Resolution 2026-34 to adopt the Marion County Local Mitigation Strategy Plan 2025 Update
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OCALA’S RELEVANT STRATEGIC GOALS:
Operational Excellence
PROOF OF PUBLICATION:
N/A
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BACKGROUND:
The Federal Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 requires local governments to maintain a Local Mitigation Strategy (LMS) Plan, which identifies potential natural and man-made hazards faced by each community, along with methods to minimize impacts and speed recovery from disasters. Adoption of the LMS makes the County and incorporated cities eligible for grants used for disaster analysis, preparedness, and recovery. A full update to the plan is required every five years. The City adopted the 2020 update by Resolution 2021-22 on May 4, 2021. The full 2025 LMS Plan is attached and can also be found at Local Mitigation Strategy | Marion County, FL <https://www.marionfl.org/agencies-departments/departments-facilities-offices/growth-services/local-mitigation-strategy>
FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS:
The LMS Working Group and staff have completed the required update and submitted it to the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM), which granted approval subject to final local government adoption. Marion County Commission is scheduled to adopt the update at its regular meeting on June 2, 2026.
Staff recommends adopting the LMS Plan 2025 Update and authorizing the final submission to the FDEM and FEMA.
FISCAL IMPACT:
N/A
PROCUREMENT REVIEW:
N/A
LEGAL REVIEW:
This resolution has been reviewed and approved for form and legality by City Attorney, William E. Sexton.
ALTERNATIVE:
• Approve with Changes
• Table
• Deny
RESOLUTION 2026-34
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF OCALA, FLORIDA ADOPTING THE MARION COUNTY LOCAL MITIGATION STRATEGY PLAN, 2025 UPDATE; PROVIDING FOR THE REPEAL OF INCONSISTENT ARTICLES; PROVIDING DIRECTION TO STAFF AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
WHEREAS, the City of Ocala, Florida is vulnerable to the human and economic costs of natural, technological, and societal disasters, and the City Council recognizes the importance of reducing or eliminating those vulnerabilities for the overall safety, health, and welfare of the community; and
WHEREAS, the City of Ocala, Florida recognizes that, regardless of efforts and preparation to reduce or eliminate such vulnerabilities, natural, technological, and societal disasters may occur and recovery from such disasters is critical to the overall safety, health, and welfare of the community; and
WHEREAS, the Federal Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (hereinafter the "Act") required each local jurisdiction to establish and maintain an individual local mitigation plan or actively participate in the development and maintenance of multi-jurisdictional local mitigation plan; and
WHEREAS, the Act significantly expanded the mitigation planning requirements necessary for state and local jurisdictions to maintain their eligibility for federal hazard mitigation funds; and
WHEREAS, Chapter 44 CFR, Sections 201 & 206 provide that a local jurisdiction(s) must review and revise the local mitigation plan to reflect changes in development, progress in local mitigation efforts, and changes in priorities, and update the local mitigation plan a minimum of every five years in order to continue to be eligible for federal hazard mitigation funds under the United States of America, Federal Emergency Management Agency (hereinafter “FEMA”); and
WHEREAS, the State of Florida, Division of Emergency Management (hereinafter “FDEM”) is the office responsible for reviewing and coordinating local mitigation plans for state and federal compliance as well as distributing state allocated federal hazard mitigation funds; and
WHEREAS, Rule 9G-22, Florida Administrative Code, defines a local mitigation plan as the jurisdiction’s Local Mitigation Strategy (hereinafter “LMS”) and sets forth the method for monitoring and evaluating changes to hazard assessments, project priority list, critical facilities list, repetitive flood-loss list, and map revisions; and
WHEREAS, Marion County, Florida as well as the City of Ocala, Florida, the City of Belleview, Florida, the City of Dunnellon, Florida, the Town of McIntosh, Florida, the Town of Reddick, Florida, together with their community stakeholders, have prepared, adopted, and maintained a Local Mitigation Strategy Plan (hereinafter “LMS Plan”) which presents a unified strategy toward building a disaster-resilient community; and
WHEREAS, the Marion County, Florida LMS Working Group is comprised of thirteen members, one each selected from the Board of County Commissioners of Marion County, Florida, the City of Ocala, Florida, the City of Belleview, Florida, the City of Dunnellon, Florida, the Marion County Emergency Operations Center, the Marion County School Board, the Ocala/Marion County Chamber & Economic Partnership, the Ocala Marion County Realtors/Builders Association, the Salvation Army, a local power provider, a local health care provider and two county residents; and
WHEREAS, the Board of County Commissioners of Marion County, Florida tasked the LMS Working Group to create and maintain the Marion County LMS Plan; and
WHEREAS, Marion County’s original LMS Plan was approved and adopted in 1999 by Resolution No. 99-R-293 and updated by Resolution 05-R-108; Resolution 11-R-129; Resolution 16-R-115 and Resolution 21-R-214; and
WHEREAS, the LMS Working Group prepared the Marion County Local Mitigation Strategy Five-Year Plan 2025 Update (hereinafter the “Update”) pursuant to Chapter 44 CFR Sec. 201 and Rule 9G-22, F.A.C., including conducting public outreach to receive public comment and recommendations regarding the Update; and
WHEREAS, the Update has received conditional approval by the FDEM and FEMA; and
WHEREAS, the FDEM and FEMA conditional approval of the LMS Update will become final upon adoption of the Update by the Board of County Commissioners of Marion County, Florida; and
WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Ocala, Florida now desires to adopt the Update as adopted by the Board of County Commissioners of Marion County, Florida; and
WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Ocala, Florida finds and determines that the adoption of the Update , as adopted by the Board of County Commissioners of Marion County, Florida, serves a public purpose, protects the health, safety and welfare of and is the best interest of the City of Ocala, Florida and its citizens.
NOW THEREFORE, IT IS HEREBY RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Ocala, Florida as follows:
Section 1. Adoption and Incorporation of Recitals.
The City Council of the City of Ocala, Florida adopts the above-outlined recitals and incorporates them herein as part and parcel of this resolution.
Section 2. Purpose and Authority for Resolution.
This resolution is adopted for the purpose of adopting the Update adopted by the Board of County Commissioners of Marion County, Florida, by the City of Ocala, Florida, and is adopted pursuant to the authority granted by Chapters 166 and 252, Florida Statutes.
Section 3. Adoption of Marion County Local Mitigation Strategy Five-Year Plan, 2025 Update.
The Marion County Local Mitigation Strategy Five-Year Plan, 2025 Update, adopted by the Board of County Commissioners of Marion County, Florida, is adopted by the City of Ocala, Florida.
Section 4. Repeal of Conflicting Articles.
The Marion County Local Mitigation Strategy Five-Year Plan, 2025 Update, as adopted by the City of Ocala, Florida herein, shall be the local mitigation strategy for the City of Ocala, Florida and any other plan or strategy, to the extent that it may be in conflict, is hereby repealed.
Section 5. Direction to Staff.
A copy of this Resolution shall be forwarded to the Board of County Commissioners of Marion County, Florida.
Section 6. Effective Date of Resolution.
This resolution shall become effective immediately upon adoption.
APPROVED AND ADOPTED, with a quorum present and voting, by the City Council of the City of Ocala, Florida this __________ day of ________________________________ 2026.
CITY OF OCALA, FLORIDA,
a political subdivision of the State of Florida
ATTEST: CITY OF OCALA
By: By:
Angel B. Jacobs Ire J. Bethea Sr.
City Clerk President, Ocala City Council
Approved as to form and legality:
By: _________________________________
William E. Sexton
City Attorney