Florence Council Continues Hearing on FEMA-Required Flood Code Changes Protecting Habitat

Florence City Council continued a public hearing Feb. 24, 2026, on proposed revisions to the city’s Flood Damage Prevention code that the city says are required under FEMA’s pre-implementation compliance measures and intended to better protect endangered species habitat. Councilors did not finish the discussion and scheduled a continuation of the public hearing.

The proposed changes focus on amendments to Florence’s Flood Damage Prevention code, a municipal ordinance that regulates construction and land use in flood-prone areas. The city presented the package to satisfy FEMA pre-implementation compliance measures, a procedural step local officials identified as necessary to align Florence’s regulations with federal expectations while strengthening habitat protections for species listed as endangered.

Council deliberations on Feb. 24 covered technical language in the draft ordinance, the required procedural timeline tied to FEMA compliance, and the scope of habitat protections included in the text. The hearing brought planners and municipal staff into the council chambers to walk through code sections that specify permitted activities in regulated floodplain areas and the criteria used to identify habitat that the amendments would protect.

Because the council did not reach a final vote, it set a follow-up session to complete the public hearing and to ensure FEMA’s pre-implementation checklist and the city’s public notice requirements are met. Florence officials indicated the continuation will provide additional time for legal review and for residents and stakeholders to examine how the proposed Flood Damage Prevention code changes would affect development and conservation within the city limits.

The outcome of the continued hearing will determine whether Florence advances the draft ordinance toward final adoption or returns it to staff for revisions to satisfy both FEMA’s procedural expectations and the local habitat protections under consideration. City leaders emphasized that completing FEMA’s pre-implementation compliance measures is a prerequisite to moving forward with the code change process.

Council members and city staff said they will reconvene the hearing at a later scheduled meeting to conclude testimony and deliberate on the Flood Damage Prevention code amendments. The continuation will set the next concrete milestone in Florence’s effort to align floodplain regulation with federal compliance steps while strengthening protections for endangered species habitat.