Open house meeting will help residents in Braden River watershed determine flood insurance rates [The Bradenton Herald, Fla.]

April 03--MANATEE -- The 6,000 Manatee and Sarasota County residents affected by the Braden River watershed will learn if their properties are zoned in high or low flood risk areas during an open house meeting held by the Southwest Florida Water Management District on Thursday.

The meeting will take place at Lakewood Ranch High School located at 5500 Lakewood Ranch Boulevard between 4-6:30 p.m.

The district has gathered input to digitally update flood hazard maps, which help determine the cost of floor insurance. The district is a partner with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which is updating flood hazard maps across the country. The new flood hazard maps will show flood risks at a property-by-property level and will allow better planning when determining where and how new structures and developments should be built.

The most recent flood map for the Sarasota County portion of the watershed was completed in 1984. Manatee County's map was created in 1992. Maps need to be updated to include nat

ural and physical changes, said Robyn Felix, water district spokesperson.

During the meeting, there will be maps printed out and posted around the room for residents to look at preliminary flood plans and the individual properties. Letters were sent out to any resident that may have changed from either a high to low-risk area, low to high-risk area or had no change at all. Tom Gerstenberger, Manatee County project engineering supervisor, will attend the meeting to answer questions that residents have on flood plain delineation, county spokesperson Nick Azzara said.

"It's important for both Manatee County government and residents to know what the flood risk is to get proper insurance and make decisions about their property," Felix said.

Improvements made by Manatee County years ago led to residents saving more than $2.6 million in flood insurance premiums for 2011. In 2010, the county received a Class 5 ranking through FEMA's Community Rating System, which ranks community floodplain management on a scale of 1-10. In 2004, the county received a Class 6 ranking.

Once the preliminary maps are approved by the governing board of state water districts controlled by Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the maps will be sent to FEMA for review, Felix said. FEMA will then meet with county officials and the county will administer another round of public meetings.

Residents are asked to bring documentation or photos of their property if they've had flooding on their property, Felix said.

Nick Williams, East Manatee reporter, can be reached at 941-748-0411 ext. Follow on Twitter @_1NickWilliams

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