| Executive Summary
A. Background
Local Mitigation Strategy (LMS) is a plan that a community can develop to promote hazard mitigation and to manage post-disaster recovery. As such, it is a natural extension of the duties of the Manatee County Department of Public Safety and the Division of Emergency Management and other associated county and local emergency management agencies. LMS requires planning and being prepared for something which is not a daily occurrence. It begins with a blueprint through which a community can assess its vulnerability to and threat of hazards and begin planning its response for loss reduction.
LMS deals not only with flooding and hurricanes, but with all hazards to which a community might be vulnerable, including natural, technological, and societal hazards. By having a plan, local government can become pro-active, rather than reactive. It can reduce the cost of disasters by identifying mitigation initiatives and locating funding sources for those initiatives. This pre-planning will enable local government to mitigate repetitive damages, and be ready to get the community back on its feet more quickly should a disaster occur.
B. Acknowledgments
The development and updating of the Manatee County LMS was the result of diligent effort and mutual cooperation between the County and the six municipalities of Manatee County, fire districts, and sheriff’s office. This effort could not have been accomplished without the support of the Manatee County Board of County Commissioners and the City Councils/Commissions of Anna Maria, Bradenton, Bradenton Beach, Holmes Beach, Longboat Key, and Palmetto.
C. Formal Adoption of LMS: Resolutions of Participating Communities
Following approval of the revised LMS by the Florida Division of Emergency Management and Federal Emergency Management Agency, each of the six participating Manatee County governments formally adopted the updated Manatee County LMS. Adopting resolutions can be found in Section III.
D. Profile of Manatee County
• It would be difficult to develop a plan for addressing future mitigation efforts without first establishing where things stand today. This was accomplished in Section IV by examining the following factors: natural features and topography; demographics; housing mix; business and industry; and future land use.
E. Hazard Analysis (Background, Probability, Vulnerability)
The identification of the mitigation strategies necessary to natural and man made threats required the completion of a hazards analysis. The following is a summary of the detailed analysis contained in Section V.
• Hurricane/Coastal Storms
Due to their location on barrier islands, the cities of Anna Maria, Bradenton Beach, Holmes Beach, and Longboat Key and the coastal areas of the city of Bradenton and unincorporated Manatee County are the must vulnerable to the affects of a hurricane or coastal storm. Depending on the severity of the storm, additional areas in Bradenton, Palmetto, and unincorporated Manatee County near the month of the Manatee River could also be vulnerable.
• Severe Storms
All jurisdictions in Manatee County are susceptible to the various components which comprise severe storms with the greatest threats coming from lightning and strong winds.
• Tornadoes
All jurisdictions in Manatee County are susceptible to tornadoes, particularly during the threat of severe thunderstorms. In addition, the four barrier island communities are also susceptible to the threat of water spouts.
• Floods/Severe Rain Events
To some degree, all jurisdictions in Manatee County are susceptible to flooding events. For the barrier island communities, should a severe rainfall event occur at the same time as high tide, onshore winds, or a combination of both, the severity of the flooding is compounded.
• Coastal and Riverine Erosion
In Manatee County, coastal and riverine erosion is a possibility for those areas located along the Gulf of Mexico, Tampa Bay, Sarasota Bay, Manatee and Braden Rivers and Bowless and Wares Creeks.
• Winter Storms/Freezes
The same areas of Manatee County affected by hurricane and coastal storms are also affected by winter storms. The agricultural areas of unincorporated Manatee County and, to a limited extent, in the cities of Bradenton and Palmetto, would be affected by a winter freeze.
• Droughts/Heat Wave
All of Manatee County can be affected by drought conditions.
• Sinkhole/Landslides
As identified by the Southwest Florida Water Management District, the occurrence of sinkholes is a rare event in Manatee County, with the only recorded sinkholes being located in the unincorporated county.
• Wildfires
The areas of greatest threat to wildfires are in unincorporated Manatee County, primarily east of I-75 and the area south of the Manatee River and east of I-75 which is experiencing the greatest growth in what could be considered the urban/rural interface.
• Earthquakes, Tsunamis, and Volcanoes
No areas of Manatee County are susceptible to these natural disasters.
• Hazardous Materials
Due to the fact that ground transportation is the primary method for the transport of hazardous materials, all areas of Manatee County are potentially susceptible to a hazardous material event. The areas with the greatest probability of such event include the Port Manatee area of northwestern unincorporated Manatee County and the industrial areas east of US 41/301 in eastern Bradenton and unincorporated Manatee County.
• Dam/Levee Failures
The areas of Manatee County vulnerable to a dam failure are located west of Lake Manatee and north of the Bill Evers Reservoir in the unincorporated county and the cities of Bradenton and Palmetto.
• Port Vessel Collision or Open Water Hazardous Material Spill
The area must vulnerable to vessel collisions or open water hazardous material spills is in the immediate vicinity of Port Manatee. A secondary area includes Tampa Bay's main shipping channel. Should a vessel collision or open water hazardous material spill occur west of the Skyway Bridge and climatic conditions be right, the unincorporated areas of Terra Ceia and Snead Island, the city of Anna Maria and the Palma Sola and Perico Island areas of the city of Bradenton could be impacted. Should such an event occur west of Egmont Key, it is possible that in addition to Anna Maria, the cities of Holmes Beach, Bradenton Beach, and Longboat Key could also be impacted.
• Terrorism/Homeland Security
With the exception of Port Manatee and the Florida Power and Light Manatee Generating Station, there are no facilities in the county which could be considered of strategic importance.
• Utility Failure/Power Outages
To some degree all of Manatee County is vulnerable to a utility failure or power outage.
F. Critical Facilities
Each participating governmental agency identified those facilities located within its area of responsibility deemed to be critical. Since each jurisdiction had its own unique characteristics and hazards profile, potential, and vulnerabilities, no attempt was made to develop a single countywide identification approach. Section VI of the updated Manatee County LMS, list the critical facilities which fall into the following general headings:
• Operations centers and staging areas
• Government buildings
• Fire and EMS stations
• Law enforcement offices
• Medical services
• Potable water supply/treatment facilities
• Florida Power & Light substations
• Sewer/treatment facilities
• Schools and universities
• Convalescent and assisted living facilities
• Evacuation shelters
• Airports
• Flood control devices
• Radio/cellular/TV towers
• Manatee County landfill
• Hazardous material storage sites
In light of the ongoing threat of terrorism, detailed information/maps for certain critical facilities was not be included in the LMS.
G. LMS Goals and Objectives
In preparing the LMS goals and objectives, information was drawn from each participating jurisdiction's adopted Local Government Comprehensive Plan (adopted pursuant to Chapter 163, Part II, FS), Community Rating System, Flood Plain Management Plans, Repetitive Loss Initiatives, and other relevant documents. By drawing upon the adopted local government comprehensive plans, the LMS effort ensures that the goals and objectives are reflective of the County's and its jurisdictions' long-term vision. The specific goals and objectives can be found in Section VII.
H. LMS Mitigation Initiatives
Section VIII contains a list of those projects identified by the participating jurisdictions in Manatee County as necessary for the successful implementation of the LMS process. Each participating jurisdiction/agency submitted initiatives which were intended to mitigate the identified hazards as they may impact that jurisdiction/agency.
I. Revision/Update Procedures and Incorporation of LMS into Local Government Comprehensive Plans
The Manatee County LMS is recognized to be a living document and not simply a planning document that once completed "is placed on the shelf to collect dust." In recognition of this fact, Section IX outlines those procedures for the continual review and updating of the contents of the LMS. It also calls for the incorporation of the LMS into the adopted comprehensive plan of each participating local government.
J. Maps
The following maps, prepared using the TAOS Model and by the Manatee County GIS Department, can be found in the Manatee County LMS:
1 Wetlands, Rivers, and Streams
2 Flood Control Devices
3 Population Density
4 Future Land Use
5 Wind-borne Debris Region
5A 100-Year Wind, TAOS
5B 50-Year Wind, TAOS
5C 25-Year Wind, TAOS
5D 10-Year Wind, TAOS
5E Category-5 Wind, TAOS
5F Category-4 Wind, TAOS
5G Category-3 Wind, TAOS
5H Category-2 Wind, TAOS
5I Category-1 Wind, TAOS
6 NFIP Zones
6A FEMA FIRM Zones, TAOS
6B Additional Flood Vulnerability, TAOS
7 Evacuation Zones
8 Sea, Lake, and Overland Surge from Hurricanes
8A 100-Year Surge, TAOS
8B 50-Year Surge, TAOS
8C 25-Year Surge, TAOS
8D 10-Year Surge, TAOS
8E Category-5 Surge, TAOS
8F Category-4 Surge, TAOS
8G Category-3 Surge, TAOS
8H Category-2 Surge, TAOS
8I Category-1 Surge, TAOS
9 Sinkholes
10 Wildfire Vulnerable Habitats
11 Significant Wildlife Habitat
12 Hazardous Material Storage Sites
13 Transportation and Water Bodies
14 Port Manatee
15 Potable Water Supply/Treatment Facilities
16 Sewer/Treatment Facilities
17 Government Buildings
18 Fire and EMS Stations
19 Law Enforcement Offices
20 Medical Services
21 Radio/Cellular/TV Towers
22 Operations Centers and Staging Areas
23 FP&L Substations
24 Airports
25 Schools and Universities
26 Convalescent and Assisted Living Facilities
27 Evacuation Shelters
28 Manatee County Landfill
29 Repetitive Loss Properties
K. Appendices
A Current LMS Committee Membership
B Historical Hazard Events
C Repetitive Loss Properties
D Risk Analysis
E Critical Facility Vulnerability Scoring Methodology
F Guiding Principles
G Mitigation Initiative Scoring Matrix/Procedures
H Funding Sources
I Hazard Mitigation Roles
J Working Structure
K Committee/Public Participation
L Glossary
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