The Tallahassee-Leon County Local Mitigation Strategy (LMS) is a countywide comprehensive hazard mitigation plan intended to make our community safer and more resistant to natural and other types of hazards.
This LMS identifies and analyzes hazards faced by the community, and proposes a series of mitigation initiatives, including objectives, programs, or specific projects that are intended to reduce potential impacts. This plan also ensures the community's eligibility for federal and state assistance.
The LMS reduces exposure to hazards and minimized their potential effects (including the costs associated with these hazards) by:
- Identifying potential hazards, such as hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, fires, and hazardous materials releases;
- Determining where the community is most vulnerable to these hazards;
- Assessing the critical facilities and other structures that are most vulnerable to hazards, including potential damages and costs;
- Prioritizing list of mitigation projects to take advantage of available funding;
- Identifying funding sources for mitigation projects; and
- Advocating hazard awareness and education for the community.
The LMS is prepared and updated annually as necessary with guidance from a steering committee composed of selected local, state, and regional government agencies, local colleges and universities, the Red Cross, the business community, and neighborhood representatives.
2022 LMS Annual Report
Every year, a report on the City of Tallahassee/Leon County Local Mitigation Strategy Initiative is prepared by the City's Water Resources Engineering Division in the department of Underground Utilities and Public Infrastructure to meet the requirements of the Community Rating System (CRS) annual recertification. Because of local government participation in the CRS program, floodplain property owners in Leon County and the City of Tallahassee may receive up to a 20% discount on their flood insurance premiums. The annual report contains a review of each item in the Local Mitigation Strategy Initiatives including information on how much has been accomplished to date.
2022 Tallahassee – Leon County Local Mitigation Strategy Annual Report
Five-Year LMS Update
The Federal Emergency Management Agency requires that local governments update their LMS at least every five years. The Planning Department has recently updated the LMS with the assistance of the LMS Working Group and Steering Committee, which is composed of local and state government staff, along with representatives of several non-profit organizations within the community. The Steering Committee met several times over the past 18 months in a series of publicly noticed meetings to discuss these proposed changes, as well as develop projects intended for hazard mitigation grant funding made available to counties affected by Hurricane Michael.
The updated LMS has been approved by the State of Florida’s Division of Emergency Management (DEM). It was adopted by resolution by the Tallahassee City Commission on April 22, 2020, and also by the Leon County Board of County Commissioners on April 28, 2020.
2020 LMS Update
If you have any questions or comments, please contact the LMS Coordinator:
Stephen M. Hodges, AICP
Senior Planner,
Comprehensive Planning & Urban Design
Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Department
Renaissance Center
435 N Macomb St., Tallahassee, FL 32310
850-891-6400 • stephen.hodges@talgov.com