[{"_1":2,"_84":-5,"_85":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,74],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":44,"_46":47,"_48":49,"_50":51,"_52":53,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":59,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":65,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},"mediaId",6672646,"mediaKeyId","2119814-df8a9706e8cea07e0f37c4b3202874fd","parentId",2119814,"title","Taylor County residents press state and FEMA over elevation rules, permit fees and recovery delays","audioSeconds",0,"startMs",2672000,"endMs","viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2119814-df8a9706e8cea07e0f37c4b3202874fd&start=2672&end=2672","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2119814-df8a9706e8cea07e0f37c4b3202874fd/thumbnail_2672000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6672646/Taylor-County/Florida/Taylor-County-residents-press-state-and-FEMA-over-elevation-rules-permit-fees-and-recovery-delays","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6672646-bfbf29add7b1f3332da5b91e3d7a3573/orig.mp4?Expires=1770445365&Signature=Adj7slyS9fRS3E8dvlGjd33MLRnmxzvbV4fUER5BBJCG0gc4mdKdMkyO2KqcP73t9Qjr6YDUAk1BUB4YIg6SPyhdrStycQoPR3qkEmWzj~2HbYp2KSscpeih75q8RJqzUsQ-aWifW0gO9DYYdoYFZ7AYYPpSFZm8pgbQZ~q7GNd-0o3uzGh2TrWJwcxlYfCh2cgldDcaP5mlG4b9zh~HJYW3JNLpb2ZdMsgYjdVYz-SqSQ4WAc1RiFcMQuXLUJh6sOz2LtNiRF2aNKgQzHqYTGeE~23fNNyXcxAC0xaxj9WVLYmVVJxTnuqYAVrwKTLCde0CowlnYEMUN7c~rG5BIA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Taylor County","date","2025-01-16T00:00:00Z","article","Dozens of Taylor County residents and business owners used a Jan. 15 FEMA workshop to press county and state officials for relief from building-code and electrical-elevation requirements they say are blocking the county’s recovery.

At the workshop, residents said Florida building-code provisions that require electrical systems and meters to be elevated above the base flood elevation plus one foot make it impractical or prohibitively expensive for some coastal businesses — particularly RV parks and small beach businesses — to reopen. Speakers asked county leaders to seek temporary variances or to press the state to change rules that they said force meters and service equipment 17 feet or higher.

Multiple speakers said the elevation requirement prevents them from resuming normal operations and damages county tax revenue. “I feel your pain, and I feel your frustration,” Commissioner Pate told attendees while expressing support for a faster solution. Several business owners and campers described stair and access concerns for elderly customers and said the cost of required elevation work forces them to delay reopening.

Residents asked for practical alternatives such as allowing temporary, removable service platforms or permitting lower-rated metering configurations while the county pursues regulatory relief. County and state staff repeatedly said parts of the requirement come from the Florida Building Code and ASCE 24 and that local ordinances must remain consistent with state and federal minimums for NFIP participation. A state program representative told the meeting the county’s options are constrained by those codes.

Attendees also raised related post-disaster issues: a resident said a formerly waived permit fee had been charged again after a waiver ended, others complained about delays and perceived poor follow-up from the Small Business Administration, and several speakers pressed for certainty about debris removal timetables. The county acknowledged ongoing debris operations and said it would seek to coordinate continued contractor work while pickup remains necessary.

In response to repeated requests for a technical forum, FEMA and state staff said they would work to convene a meeting of subject-matter experts — engineers, power-company representatives, building-code officials and state floodplain staff — so residents could present individual cases and receive specific answers. A FEMA representative said the agency had \"set the goal to try to have you something within a week,\" and state staff expressed intent to organize a broader meeting within roughly two weeks to include additional agencies and recovery resources.

No formal county action or vote was taken during the workshop. Residents asked county officials to pursue regulatory relief and to consider temporary administrative steps (such as pausing permitting fees for storm-related repairs) while the county and state pursue longer-term solutions.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Taylor County Board of County Commissioners 2025-01-16","oneSentenceSummary","Residents and business owners at a FEMA NFIP workshop urged county and state officials to revisit building-code and electrical-elevation requirements they say prevent coastal businesses and RV parks from reopening after storms.","taxTitle","Taylor County, Florida","taxId",28196,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":75,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":76,"_41":42,"_43":77,"_45":77,"_46":78,"_48":79,"_50":80,"_52":81,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":82,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":83,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},6672651,"FEMA briefs Taylor County commissioners on National Flood Insurance Program, local responsibilities",589000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2119814-df8a9706e8cea07e0f37c4b3202874fd&start=589&end=589","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2119814-df8a9706e8cea07e0f37c4b3202874fd/thumbnail_589000.jpg","/articles/6672651/Taylor-County/Florida/FEMA-briefs-Taylor-County-commissioners-on-National-Flood-Insurance-Program-local-responsibilities","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6672651-06b4f990f571b319d14a7d98b81ff736/orig.mp4?Expires=1770445365&Signature=LfjoaJTm~SFfTHV8-E1ZJSf-2seBH8jQ8P8XoS7SJMuSpc2fQnj7gjOK8u-WCfbYcgjku7nMzf5wiSCHmfD6tRfIWRAgxrdFrlKaYpJuCwssCziie2NurqJZ8TwQNcWp9zDxWIu4JEMvZ6dCHo3yHYxJtRAvoHvtNwPB0VfMKzCM-~~Vtxj3NdkYsv8yFw9RqUTKU9Unz0saRRzonQlibI3vnUAFnM5eg5-7UCmqrsV4WqMInmfB5370YDK7bvL4fbdpsH-LtFZo~qYwV8v2AECpbLer1DieRygoPXnmWSd6kY1OVHuGWuaShgKUb0rYlqxO-TJVL1xRcIeVD-q8zA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Jan. 15 delivered a workshop to the Taylor County Board of County Commissioners explaining how participation in the National Flood Insurance Program, or NFIP, interacts with state and local floodplain rules and what communities must do to remain eligible.

The presentation, given by Marissa Allen of FEMA’s Office of External Affairs and Tammy Hanson of FEMA Region 4 and described by FEMA staff as a roughly 90-minute briefing, reviewed the program’s “three-legged” approach—flood insurance availability, floodplain management regulations and mapping and mitigation—and outlined roles for federal, state and local officials.

The briefing matters because participation in NFIP affects whether county residents can buy or renew flood insurance and whether certain federal post-disaster assistance is available in mapped high-risk areas, FEMA officials said. The agency also warned about a forthcoming change to its oversight approach: \"we are moving into an audit system that we will call an audit... starting in mid 2026,\" a FEMA presenter stated during the workshop.

FEMA officials walked the commissioners through specific local responsibilities: appointing and supporting a floodplain administrator, enforcing the community’s floodplain ordinance, performing substantial-damage determinations after events and maintaining permanent records tied to development in special flood hazard areas. The presenters said those determinations are made by local officials, not FEMA.

Tammy Hanson, a FEMA Region 4 official, described the program’s enforcement steps if a community is noncompliant. A community can be placed on probation — which FEMA said would trigger a $50 surcharge on each NFIP policyholder while the community works to correct deficiencies — and, if noncompliance continues, it can be suspended from the program. Suspension, FEMA said, would prevent new NFIP policies from being sold and existing policies from being renewed and could affect access to some federal assistance for development in mapped high-risk areas.

The presentation included data FEMA said applied to Taylor County: FEMA staff reported 685 paid NFIP claims in unincorporated Taylor County totaling about $26,500,000 since the county joined the program. FEMA also noted that participation in the Community Rating System, an optional program that awards discounts for higher local standards and activities, can reduce premiums for some policyholders; FEMA records cited during the briefing showed Taylor County participating as CRS class 9.

FEMA staff described training and technical resources available to communities (including FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute and state floodplain offices), recommended maintaining long-term permitting and elevation records, and explained that higher local standards or CRS activities can produce both safety and premium benefits for residents.

FEMA officials said they will work with the county and the state to set up further briefings and public forums to answer local questions; at the meeting a FEMA representative said, \"I've set the goal to try to have you something within a week,\" while noting the agency would also schedule more comprehensive public events to address individual recovery needs.

The commissioners did not take a formal vote during the workshop. FEMA and county staff said follow-up meetings and technical sessions would be scheduled to provide additional detail for elected officials and residents.","FEMA representatives gave a 90-minute workshop to the Taylor County Board of County Commissioners explaining the National Flood Insurance Program, community responsibilities for floodplain management, consequences for noncompliance and benefits of the Community Rating System.","actionData","errors"]

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Taylor County residents press state and FEMA over elevation rules, permit fees and recovery delays

FEMA briefs Taylor County commissioners on National Flood Insurance Program, local responsibilities