Charlotte County is planning on constructing a FEMA-backed safe room for Hurricane preparedness. The proposal would add a hardened safe-room facility at 17517 Seymour Ave., Port Charlotte, built under the Hazard Mitigation Assistance umbrella and Florida’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP).

 

A public notice posted by the county describes a 30,768-square-foot facility capable of housing 1,282 people at the proposed site on Seymour Avenue, part of the county’s public safety complex. The project is identified as HMGP DR-4673-(448) Public Works Saferoom. The plan aligns with FEMA’s long-term resilience strategy and Florida’s statewide mitigation framework.

 

According to the county’s notice, the safe room would support continuity of operations for emergency workers and public works staff—keeping response capacity intact while a storm is underway and accelerating recovery afterward.

 

Because federal funds are involved, the project must be evaluated under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and related executive orders: Executive Order 11988 (Floodplain Management) and Executive Order 11990 (Protection of Wetlands). These reviews require agencies to avoid or minimize impacts to floodplains and wetlands and to consider environmental effects before approving construction.

 

The county outlines two alternatives alongside the preferred build: take no action—leaving storm shelter capacity unchanged—or construct a single, larger safe room at either the Public Works or Utilities sites. 

Residents are invited to provide input during a 30-day public comment period, with comments routed through the state’s mitigation office for review and forwarding to federal partners.

 

The biggest consideration in deciding on final plans include the fact that while a consolidated facility could reduce disruption at one location, it would enlarge the footprint at the chosen site and leave ground-disturbance needs unresolved at the other.

 

Therefore, the proposed location—17517 Seymour Ave.— which is currently served by 1 Lieutenant, 2 Firemedics, & 4 Firefighter/EMTs, and sits within the county’s public safety network, alongside Public Safety and Fire/EMS operations,would position the safe room close to first responders who would staff and use it during activations. The county’s mitigation partners include FEMA in Florida and the Florida Division of Emergency Management’s Bureau of Mitigation.

 

Residents seeking details or wishing to comment can review the full public notice on the Charlotte County news page  Requests for documents and written feedback are being coordinated through the state mitigation office identified in the notice.

 

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