Seminole County moves $516.7 million forward and updates flood models

Seminole County commissioners on Jan. 14 approved a broad set of administrative and planning actions that will reshape capital spending, flood risk maps and local services in the year ahead. The board unanimously passed BAR 26-008 to carry forward $516,686,432 in previously approved FY25 project balances into FY26, and accepted final basin studies that expand modeled floodplains for Lake Monroe and the Big/Little Econahatchee.

The carryforward package includes roughly $94.2 million in grant-funded projects, $100.6 million backed by bonds, and $101.6 million tied to sales-tax funded projects. County leaders said the action preserves momentum on multi-year capital work and maintains committed funding streams for infrastructure, public safety and other county priorities.

Commissioners also accepted updated basin studies that revise flood modeling and expand areas identified as the 100-year floodplain. Staff said the updated hydraulic and hydrologic models and revised maps will be forwarded to development review and to the Federal Emergency Management Agency for administrative processing. Expanding mapped floodplains changes how properties are reviewed for permits, can influence insurance requirements and will guide infrastructure and stormwater planning in flood-prone corridors such as those around Lake Monroe and the Econahatchee basin.

In public services, county communications staff demonstrated a redesigned Sitefinity-based county website developed to deliver faster emergency updates, improve mobile access and meet accessibility standards. Commissioners requested additional integrations for citizen reporting, signaling a push to make the site a more active tool for residents to flag local issues during storms and other emergencies.

The board received an operational update on the Scout microtransit rollout operated by Freebee. Early operations showed growing demand, with roughly 20,000 rides monthly, while staff acknowledged early glitches including app cancellations and vehicle capacity limits. County officials said they are monitoring performance metrics as the service scales and will address app reliability and fleet sizing to match ridership trends.

On land use and procedural matters, commissioners approved several routine items, including reinstating bank use at the SR-434 and East Lake Brantley Drive site—a change with specific commercial development implications for that corridor.

For Seminole County residents, the immediate impacts are practical: capital projects will continue with funds preserved, property owners in revised floodplain areas should expect updated notices during permitting and insurers may re-evaluate risk profiles as FEMA processes the new maps. Expect the county website to roll out citizen-reporting tools and for transit officials to refine the Scout service as ridership stabilizes. Future county meetings will determine how these technical updates translate into permitting decisions, infrastructure investments and everyday services for local neighborhoods.