By LARRY HANNAN,
September 17, 2005

Collier County commissioners have approved a partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to revise flood maps within the county.

As part of the agreement, approved earlier this week, the county will work with FEMA, the City of Naples and South Florida Water Management District to develop more accurate flood maps within the county.

County and city officials have complained revised flood maps going into effect on Nov. 17 are inaccurate. The maps will go into effect as scheduled and then will be revised at a later date.

Anyone with a mortgage on property in a flood plain will be required to buy flood insurance when the new maps go into effect.

The county originally sued FEMA to stop the maps from being implemented, but later decided the lawsuit would fail. So they dropped the lawsuit and negotiated this partnership with the federal agency.

"This is merely an agreement to rewrite the maps," said Community Development Administrator Joe Schmitt. "It does not make any promises on the maps."

Even though the agreement has been approved, the county still is waiting for FEMA to come up with a schedule for getting the work done. That schedule also will detail the responsibilities each government entity will have.

Naples has not yet approved the partnership agreement. City Manager Bob Lee, who negotiated the partnership with Schmitt and FEMA, said he's waiting until FEMA gives them the schedule before asking the Naples City Council for approval.

"I'm going to give the council an update on this but I'm not going to go to them (for approval of the partnership agreement) until I get those attachments done," Lee said.

Lee and Schmitt expect everything to be settled by October when the City Council and Collier County Commission hold a joint meeting. FEMA officials have promised to be at that meeting.

FEMA said it would take two years to get revised maps, Schmitt said.

But county and city officials worry that with FEMA in Hurricane Katrina-related turmoil it may take longer to get this done.

"We were told it would be two years before Katrina happened," said County Manager Jim Mudd. "I have no idea how that turmoil will affect us. But the very foundation of that agency has been shaken."

FEMA Director Michael Brown resigned earlier this week because of intense criticism of the agency's performance dealing with Hurricane Katrina.. There is talk of a massive restructuring of the organization.

Lee said he hoped a timetable could be nailed down in the next month. If it isn't, FEMA officials will be asked about a timetable at the October meeting, he said.