Local Mitigation Strategy

Mitigation is any action taken to permanently reduce or eliminate the risk to people and their property from the effects of hazards. The key to successful hazard vulnerability reduction through mitigation is to implement a well-conceived planning process. The Seminole County Resiliency Working Group (RWG) was established to encourage the public, private, and non-profit sectors of the community to become more resistant to the impacts of future disasters. The RWG has been tasked with a comprehensive evaluation of the vulnerabilities of Seminole County for all-hazards in order to identify ways to make the community more resilient to the impacts of disasters.

The primary purpose of the RWG is to establish an on-going process that encourages hazard mitigation as part of a daily routine for Seminole County and its municipalities. The RWG process is to assess vulnerabilities to all types of hazards; identify a comprehensive list of goals, objectives, plans, programs and projects in order to decrease or eliminate the effects of the identified vulnerabilities; and then prioritize the implementation of the selected initiatives.

CRS Activity 510 

Annual Progress Report on Implementation of Credited Plan.

Name of Community: The City of Oviedo                        

Date this Annual Progress Report was prepared: March 29, 2023

Name of Plan: Seminole County Floodplain Management Plan

Date of Adoption of Plan: September 09, 2021  

 5 Year CRS Expiration Date: May 01, 2024

Which Plan is this for (use separate templates for each credited Plan):

             Floodplain Management Plan (Hazard Mitigation Plan)

             Repetitive Loss Area Analysis

             Floodplain Species Plan

             Substantial Damage Plan 

Background

The City of Oviedo worked with Seminole County to plan and contribute to the Seminole County Floodplain Management Plan (FPMP). The FPMP was adopted by the City of Oviedo Council on April 06, 2020, as an appendix to the already adopted Seminole County Local Mitigation Strategy (LMS). The FPMP identifies the flood hazard risks, flood risk assessments, preventive measures, property protection measures, natural resource protection, emergency services measures, structural project measures, and public information measures for all participating municipalities in Seminole County.  In order to monitor the progress of the FPMP, Seminole County organized the Seminole County Resiliency Group (SCRG).  The SCRG meets quarterly to review elements of the FPMP, projects, grants, and other critical elements of the FPMP.  As a voting member, the City of Oviedo attends and participates in these quarterly meetings to identify and/or approve items within the Local Mitigation Strategy and Floodplain Management Plan, and to add any upcoming flood-related or resiliency items.

The City has been proactive in implementing the FPMP within the City.  One measure is the number of repetitive home flood losses.  Currently, the City currently has zero repetitive home flood losses within the city’s jurisdiction.  A repetitive loss is any insurable building (home) for which two or more claims of more than $1,000 were paid by the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) within any rolling ten-year period. In addition, the City recently adopted the Model Floodplain Ordinance by the Department of Emergency Management. The Ordinance was tailored to meet both the City of Oviedo’s higher regulatory standards and the Florida Building Code. 

The City participates in annual mock disaster training drills through Seminole County Emergency Management. The City’s Emergency Management Plan is reviewed and updated annually. Evacuation routes, shelter information, flood preparedness, siren warning system, and hurricane preparedness guides are published on the public website under Disaster Preparedness. 

Both the LMS and the FPMP can be found on line at Local Mitigation Strategy and Seminole County Floodplain Management Plan. A copy of the report can also be requested from the City’s designated Floodplain Manager at akortus@cityofoviedo.net or by mailed request to The City of Oviedo, 400 Alexandria Boulevard, Oviedo FL 32765.  

How the Report was prepared

The City’s designated Floodplain Manager and CRS Coordinator prepared this annual progress report and provided it for publication to all public forums utilized by the City. Items reviewed were, but not limited to: stormwater infrastructure inspections, pollution prevention awareness and flood protection publications, water quality sampling, storm structure rehabilitations, storm structure inspections, and flood hazard analysis. These actions are all part of the annual goals within the FPMP.  These actions are also required by the National Pollutant Discharge and Elimination System Permit (NPDES) issued by the State to Seminole County of which the City is a co-permittee.

As a part of the ongoing Stormwater Master Plan, the City worked with one of its consultants to prepare a floodplain analysis report. The report documents the analysis of flood conditions in five areas of the City that are within identified Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHA) designated as Zone A.  An SFHA is defined as an area inundated by a 100-year flood, and Zone A is defined as an SFHA where no Base (100-year) Flood Elevation (BFE) has been determined. The report updates the SFHAs and establishes BFEs for these areas.  It is important to note: establishing BFEs for these areas is critical to identify how high a structure’s finished floor should be, so the structure will be reasonably safe from flooding. The analysis also identified known areas of localized flooding due to naturally low-lying elevations. These areas were labeled Zone AE with a BFE.   Zone AE is defined as an SFHA where a BFE has been established.  A Letter of Map Revision incorporating these proposed revisions has been prepared and sent to FEMA for review and approval. 

The Stormwater Master Plan also outlines areas within the City that do not have the traditional stormwater infrastructure. Some of these areas were recommended for retrofit projects and have been placed on the ten (10) year Capital Improvement Plan. 

Goal 1. To maintain the condition of the stormwater ponds in Oviedo:

The City annually inspects ponds and ditches. During this report, 421 ponds and 32 major stormwater outfalls were inspected. In addition, Sweetwater Creek, Oviedo’s designated regulatory floodway, was inspected by drone. In order to maintain its floodway, after Hurricane Ian Sweetwater Creek was cleared of downed trees and vegetation that had created blockages. The floodway is defined as the channel of the creek and adjacent land areas that must be reserved in order to pass the 100-year flood discharge without cumulatively increasing flood elevations.

The structures in public ponds and ditches are checked to ensure they are discharging as designed. If maintenance is necessary, a work order is entered into the City’s software system. If the original design is considered to be insufficient to current engineering standards, a review is performed and the project may be placed on the capital improvement plan for design, permit modification, and construction. In order to more effectively clean and remove undesirable vegetation from stormwater ponds and ditches, an amphibious Mobi-Trac machine was purchased for the city’s stormwater crew. 

Goal 2. To maintain the quality of public street drainage facilities:

In order to maintain the quality of public street drainage facilities, the City performs a variety of tasks such as street sweeping, storm sewer pipe and structure inspections, storm sewer pipe cleaning, and storm sewer pipe lining.  During this reporting period, the street sweeping program swept approximately 2,416 lane miles. The City proactively inspects storm lines for faults and conducted inspections of approximately 34,700 feet of storm lines. Over 2,000 feet of lines that had shown failure due to age and normal wear and tear were lined with a cure-in-place technique. This method of pipe rehabilitation saves the cost and disruption of having to open the road and replace the pipe. Cleaning of the storm system was completed in-house with the City-owned Jet-Vac Truck. Approximately 214 inlets were inspected, and new inlet decals were placed atop of the inlets to notify the residents that the system leads to a waterway to prevent dumping debris into the inlets. In addition,  Inlet baskets were placed in multiple drain boxes on Oviedo Boulevard to prevent litter from being washed into nearby stormwater ponds. 

Goal 3. To improve the quality of stormwater runoff in Oviedo:

The City of Oviedo lies within four major watersheds: Lake Jesup, Howell Creek, Little Econlockhatchee River, and the Big Econlockhatchee River Basins.  Each year, the City conducts water quality sampling at discharge points in all four of these watersheds. Both Phosphorous and Nitrogen are monitored, as well as Dissolved Solids. The street sweeping program, the jet-vac cleaning program, and the invaluable volunteers who make up the Adopt A Road Program are vital components to reducing nutrient loadings.  In 2022 approximately one hundred tons of road debris and Right of Way debris were removed, resulting in a nutrient reduction of 127 pounds of phosphorous and 213  pounds of Total Nitrogen from reaching our surface waters.   

As mentioned above, the City has completed a stormwater master plan with capital improvement plans spanning over a ten (10) year period. These projects not only reduce flood risks but also improve water quality.  The plan includes projects to implement best management practices to reduce nutrient loads to receiving waters.

Another component of improving water quality is to preserve and protect the natural areas within the City.   The City completed a Floodplain Species Plan that identifies both local wildlife and State designated threatened species whose habitats are within floodplains and sensitive areas within the City. The plan is undergoing a review and will be placed on City Council Agenda during 2023. As a result, an interactive GIS layer will be open to the residents on the City’s website to provide information on species and habitats, and it will provide residents an opportunity to submit photos of sightings of species. It will also provide an opportunity to interact with other local and state agencies.