Flood mitigation is a priority of the Town of Miami Lakes and is included in the Town’s Stormwater Master Plan and Strategic Plan.
To mitigate localized flooding, the Town submitted a proposal to the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FEMA) under the FEMA Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) Grant Program for the West Lakes Drainage Improvements Project.
The Town was awarded full funding of over $1.462 million.
The FMA program provides resources to assist government agencies in their efforts to reduce or eliminate the risk of repetitive flood damage insurable under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), with the goal of reducing or eliminating claims under the NFIP.
FEMA selected the highest ranked eligible proposals and applicants which benefited communities with high participation and favorable standing in the NFIP.
The Town’s award-winning proposal required multiple levels of agency coordination, including the Miami-Dade County (MDC) Office of Emergency Management, MDC Archaeologist, MDC Regulatory and Economic Resources Department, Florida Department of Transportation, US Army Corps of Engineers, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service South Florida Ecological Services Field Office.
The grant award was announced by U.S. Senator Marco Rubio who helped secure the funding which would reduce or eliminate the risk of repetitive flood damage in an area where 236 residential homes would be spared from flooding caused by excessive rain.
The grant would also help Miami Lakes lower its Flood Insurance rates with less repetitive loss in the Town.
Town officials expressed appreciation to the efforts of Town staff including Public Works director Carlos Acosta; Carmen Olazabel, chief of CIP and Special Services; Lourdes M. Rodriguez, Building and Zoning manager; and Renée N. Wilson, Grants administrator, who all worked diligently on the proposal.