Notice of FEMA's consideration to provide funding in the form of Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.

JOINT FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL
PUBLIC NOTICE

1/20/2026

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. EO 12898 also requires FEMA to provide the opportunity for public participation in the planning process and to consider potential impacts to minority or low-income populations.

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: Clay Electric Cooperative Inc.

Project Title: FEMA HMGP-4834-007-R (154)-Clay Electric Cooperative, Inc. Astor Ductile Iron Poles, Lake County

Location of Proposed Work: The proposed project activities consist of 1.1 miles of distribution line in Astor, FL, located in Lake County. The individual distribution poles, as well as the spans between are considered the location of proposed work and will impact the homes surrounding this infrastructure.

Proposed Work and Purpose: Clay Electric Cooperative will hardening distribution lines in Lake County by replacing existing Class 1 wood poles with Class 1 ductile iron poles on a segment of distribution line in Astor, FL. This will increase the infrastructure's ability to withstand high wind speeds and other severe weather events, significantly reduce the frequency and duration of outages caused by pole failures, enhance reliable power delivery, and improve public safety for the community.

Project Alternatives: The alternatives to the project that have been and will be considered are 1) the no action alternative and 2) the conversion of the overhead distribution line to an underground distribution line. These alternatives to the proposed project are not viable because under Alternative 1) if no action is taken, the needs of the community will not be met and project area would remain vulnerable to high winds, fires, and other impacts associated with severe weather events, potentially increasing outage times and slowing down recovery post-disaster; and under Alternative 2) undergrounding a segment of distribution line increases both the cost and timeline for project completion, as well as requiring more widespread ground disturbance to the project area, which increases the potential for negative impacts to the environment; therefore, this alternative was determined to not be practicable.

Comment Period: Comments are solicited from the public; local, state or federal agencies; and other interested parties in order 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 30 days of this notice, February 20, 2026. The [TP1.1]State will forward comments to applicable regulatory agencies as needed. Interested persons may submit comments, obtain more detailed information about the proposed action, or request a copy of the findings by contacting:

Derick Thomas, Chief Public Relations Officer
Clay Electric Cooperative, Inc.
(352) 473-8000
[email protected]

State Lead Environmental Specialist Team
Florida Division of Emergency Management
[email protected]