JOINT FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL PUBLIC NOTICE

April 30, 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:

Peace River Electric Cooperative, Inc. (PRECO)

Project Title:

HMGP-4806-059-R (130) – Peace River Electric Cooperative Inc, Lakewood Ranch and River Club, Infrastructure Retrofit

Location of Proposed Work:

The area affected by this project consists of homes in the following locations:

River Club Subdivision and Braden Woods Subdivision in Lakewood Ranch, along River Club Boulevard and Pine Meadow Way, Bradenton, FL 34202.

Proposed Work and Purpose:

PRECO is proposing the installation of a backfeed system and fiber optic communication network to improve power reliability and outage response time. This involves two main project components:

the River Club Backfeed and Lakewood Ranch fiber communications network.

River Club Backfeed: PRECO will be installing 4,858 feet of flood-resistant underground cables to provide a redundant backfeed system. This will reduce outages and accelerate restoration efforts in flood-prone areas. Additionally, PRECO will be installing weatherproof junction boxes and advanced switchgear to isolate and restore power quickly to those portions of the line not affected by damage.

Lakewood Ranch: PRECO will be installing approximately 34,000 feet of fiber-optic lines to connect distribution automation devices. This will ensure real-time monitoring and automated fault detection across these areas.

Unlike cellular networks, which are unreliable during storms, fiber provides a stable, high-speed data pathway, allowing PRECO to rapidly detect and isolate outages, reroute power, and restore service.

This project will enhance grid resilience for 10,093 beneficiaries in flood-prone areas and support three Manatee County stormwater Lift Stations responsible for flood control, three local schools that also serve as emergency shelters, a fire station/EMS and medical facilities for health-compromised individuals.

Project Alternatives:

The alternatives to the project that have been and will be considered are 1) the no action alternative and 2) underground fiber. These alternatives to the proposed project are not viable because under Alternative 1) if no action is taken, the project area would remain vulnerable to outages and would not address the community’s reliability and communication needs; and Alternative 2) installing the portion of fiber that runs through the Lakewood Ranch neighborhood underground, rather than on existing poles. This alternative was determined not to be viable because it is significantly more expensive and would result in greater ground disturbance and environmental impacts within the neighborhood. Additionally, as electric lines would still be aboveground, it would not improve aesthetics for the neighborhood; therefore, it 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 15 days of this notice. The 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:

Jimmy Vallejo, Smart Grid Services Manager Peace River Electric Cooperative, Inc.