JOINT FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL
PUBLIC NOTICE
10/28/2026

The Federal Emergency Management Agency and Florida Division of Emergency Management have received the following application for Federal grant funding. Final notice is hereby given of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) consideration to provide funding in the form of Hazard Mitigation Grant Program. Funds will be provided in accordance with Section 404 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, Public Law 93-288, as amended.

Under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), federal actions must be reviewed and evaluated for feasible alternatives and for social, economic, historic, environmental, legal, and safety considerations. Under Executive Order (EO) 11988 and EO 11990 FEMA is required to consider alternatives to and to provide public notice of any proposed actions in or affecting floodplains or wetlands.

Funding for the proposed project will be conditional upon compliance with all applicable federal, tribal, state and local laws, regulations, floodplain standards, permit requirements and conditions.

Applicant:
Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative

Project Title:
HMGP 4834-165-R US-98 Tap Power Lines, Infrastructure Retrofit

Location of Proposed Work:
The area affected by this project consists of homes in the following locations:
8544 US Hwy 98

Proposed Work and Purpose:
During storm/hurricane the pole line then becomes difficult to impossible to access. Overgrown vegetation can cause damage to the lines. flooding creates situations of inaccessibility for line restoration. Conversion from overhead to underground reduces potential hazards to the line/cable. With the placement of the line/cable now underground a variety of hazards are mitigated. The exposure to hurricane force winds, facility failure due to water inundation and flooding are the hazards that are mitigated.

Project Alternatives:
The alternatives to the project that have been and will be considered are 1) the no action alternative and 2) Replacing poles and wire every time they are damage during a storm or hurricane event. These alternatives to the proposed project are not viable because under Alternative 1) The no action response would leave members out of service and would be detrimental to the community and Alternative 2) The continual replacement of poles and wires after storm and hurricanes can prove to be costly and reduce reliability. The mobilization of labor and materials comes at cost. The Overhead cost for replacement must be taken to account.

Comment Period:
Comments are solicited from the public; local, state or federal agencies; and other interested parties to consider and evaluate the impacts of the proposed project. The comments should be made in writing and addressed to the Florida Division of Emergency Management, Bureau of Mitigation, 2555 Shumard Oak Blvd., Tallahassee, FL 32399-2100. These are due within 15 days of this notice. The State will forward comments to applicable regulatory agencies as needed. Interested people may submit comments, obtain more detailed information about the proposed action, or request a copy of the findings by contacting:

Kaylen A Smith 352-567-5133 Ext 6414
Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative Kasmith@wrec.net

State Environmental Specialist Team
Florida Division of
Emergency Management MitigationEnvironmental@em.myflorida.com
November 4, 2026 110069