What is Mitigation?
Mitigation is the effort to reduce or eliminate loss of life and property by lessening the impact of disasters. Put simply, the goal of mitigation is to make our community safer, stronger, and more able to bounce back.
Lee County protects its people, neighborhoods, beaches, businesses, highways, and everything in between with the help of mitigation planning and projects. Putting in better drainage to reduce street flooding is an example of mitigation.
Mitigation planning happens every day, all year round. Lee County’s Emergency Management experts work with guidance from the state and federal government. They also study the ways industries reduce risks and hazards. Then they take lessons from what is learned.
What is the Joint Local Mitigation Strategy (LMS)?
The Joint Local Mitigation Strategy is the roadmap that guides Lee County's efforts to identify hazards and reduce the risk they pose to life and property. The strategy has plans for short-term and long-term projects.
Every five years, the LMS is updated. Then it is adopted by the Lee Board of County Commissioners, each Lee County municipality, and Florida Gulf Coast University. It is also reviewed and approved by the State of Florida and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Click to read the 2022 Lee County Joint Unified Local Mitigation Strategy.
How is the Strategy Updated?
Lee County Public Safety works with important partners to make sure the strategy is moving in the right direction. Together these partners are called the Local Mitigation Strategy Working Group. The group meets regularly to keep mitigation plans on track and to check on any projects that are underway.
Mitigation projects include:
- Road/bridge improvement projects
- Creating wildfire buffers around development in vulnerable areas
- Public information and outreach programs that educate the community on disaster risk, preparedness and mitigation.
The Joint Local Mitigation Strategy includes a multi-year Mitigation Action Plan and a mitigation project list, which are reviewed and maintained on a quarterly basis.
Members of the Local Mitigation Strategy Working Group include representatives from Lee County government departments, local municipalities, colleges and public schools, nonprofit and faith-based organizations, and the private sector.
Where to Get More Information?
The Lee County Department of Public Safety – Emergency Management leads the Local Mitigation Strategy Working Group.
The Department of Public Safety also produces additional documents on managing emergencies.