Several people informed me yesterday that they were alarmed to discover there is a meeting today at the Bradford County, FL, Sheriff’s Office about flooding.

Turns out it’s at the Sheriff’s Office because that’s where this long-running committee has been meeting. It works on flooding and wildfire issues.

Bradford County Local Mitigation Strategy Planning Committee, Sheriff’s Office, Starke, FL 2025-03-20

According to the agenda, Paul Still already has them talking about Sampson River Blockages and Radium and Chemours Discharges, which were the two big topics people were concerned about. The Sampson River blockages would seem to include the so-called three-pipes dam gates under CR 225 on the Sampson River just downstream from Lake Sampson. These gates were another concern I heard: people wish SRWMD would use them to lower Lake Sampson before big rains.

Like many such committees, this one has had few participants. Maybe this week’s alarm will get more people to attend.

Apparently most people saw this notice in the local newspaper, but it was also posted on facebook by Bradford County Sheriff’s Office – Emergency Management Division, March 7, 2025,

The Bradford County Local Mitigation Strategy (LMS) Planning Committee/Workgroup will meet Thursday, March 20th, 2025, at 3:00 pm in the Bradford County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) located in the Bradford County Sheriff’s Office at 945B North Temple Avenue, Starke, FL 32091.

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Gordon Smith, Sheriff
Bradford County
Emergency Management Division

LEGAL NOTICE:

The Bradford County Local Mitigation Strategy (LMS) Planning Committee/Workgroup will meet Thursday, March 20%, 2025, at 3:00 pm in the Bradford County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) located in the Bradford County Sheriff’s Office at 9458 North Temple Avenue, Starke, FL 32091. Bradford County Emergency Management encourages any interested citizens and business owners to attend and provide input. The Committee guides the preparation and contents of the Bradford County Local Mitigation Strategy which serves as the plan submitted to the Florida Division of Emergency Management to reduce the community’s long-term risk for protecting people and property from the effects of natural disasters and to build a safer and stronger community

This public meeting is being conducted in a handicapped accessible location. Any handicapped person wanting to attend the meeting and requires assistance with accessibility and/or interpretation should contact the Bradford County Sherif’s Office, Emergency Management Division at (904) 966-6336 at least 5 calendar days prior to the meeting date. Any person wishing to provide comments who cannot attend the meeting may do so by submitting written comments via email to beem@bradfordsheriff.org at least 5 calendar days prior to the meeting date. The meeting agenda may be obtained within 5 days of the meeting date via email request. as well, or by visiting https://www.bradfordsheriff.org/emergency-management/lms/.

Please contact the Bradford County Sheriff’s Office, Emergency Management Division at (904) 966-6336 for more information.

A FAIR HOUSING/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY/HANDICAPPED ACCESSIBLE JURISDICTION

Here is the agenda:

Gordon Smith, Sheriff
Bradford County
Emergency Management Division

Bradford County Local Mitigation Strategy Meeting
March 20^th, 2025
3:00 PM
Bradford County Emergency Operations Center

1. Welcome and Introductions
2. Announcement – Sign-In for Records
3. Public Comments

4. Old Business

   1. Consider Approval of Minutes for April 4″, 2024 LMS Meeting
   2. Update on Sampson Lake Flood Mitigation Projects
   3. Review and Revision of LMS Project List
5. New Business
   1. Discussion of Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for Hurricane Debby (4806-DR-FL), Hurricane Helene (4828-DR-FL), and Hurricane Milton (4834-DR-FL).
   2. Consider Reallocation of Hazard Mitigation Grant Program Funds from Hurricane Helene (4828-DR-FL) and Hurricane Milton (4834-DR-FL) to Elevate Florida.
6. Comments from Committee Members
   1. Mary Lou Hildreth, City of Hampton
      1. County Drainage/Culverts on SE CR 325
   2. Paul Still, Bradford Environmental Forum
      1. Sampson River Blockages
      2. Radium and Chemours Discharges
   3. Other Committee Members
7. Adjournment

Capt. Bradley G. Witt, Director
P.O. Box 400 Starke, FL 32091
945-B N. Temple Ave, Starke, FL 32091
Telephone: 904-966-6910 – Fax: 904-966-6160

There’s quite a bit of information at URL in the announcement, https://www.bradfordsheriff.org/emergency-management/lms/, including PDFs of the above announcement and agenda.

Plus, under Bradford County LMS Plan – 2021 Update:

• LMS Plan
• Appendix I – LMS Meeting Documentation
• Attachment I – Master Project List
• Attachment II – Capital Improvement Project List
• Attachment III – Community Wildfire Protection Plan

All those documents are now archived on the WWALS website.

In the LMS Plan, the section on Natural Hazards, Flooding, starting on page 26, indicates the Committee is aware of and working on the flooding problem. For example:

FEMA Flood Map showing Alligator Creek flood zone in Starke, Florida
PDF

And:

File Photo – Bradford County Emergency Management – Hurricane Irma Flooding
PDF

I was thinking of going, but having perused the documents, and seeing others have it covered, I think I’ll pass for today.

Map: Starke, FL, Chemours TiO2 Mines, Sampson Lake, Sampson River, Santa Fe River
in the WWALS map of the Suwannee River Water Trail (SRWT)

 -jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

You can help with clean, swimmable, fishable, drinkable, water in the 10,000-square-mile Suwannee River Basin in Florida and Georgia by becoming a WWALS member today!
https://wwals.net/donations/

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