County seeks real-time flood forecasting with Swiftmud for Brooker Creek, Lake Tarpon and South Creek

County Administrator Jill Silverboard described the initiative as a predictive forecasting partnership with the regional water-management district to update models with new storm data and provide real-time forecasting for emergency response and capital planning. "It's for predictive forecasting," Silverboard said, explaining that the new modeling incorporates post-2024 storm data and will be iteratively updated as new measurements and events occur.

Commissioners raised questions about whether the county's existing models were sufficient and whether the update duplicates previous work; Silverboard and staff said the project adds new data and real-time forecasting capability and is focused on specific watersheds (Brooker Creek, Lake Tarpon and South Creek) rather than a full countywide remap. The county's match for the Swiftmud contract is $300,000, funded through the surface water utility rather than the general fund, and staff recommended continuing participation given recent flooding in historically unaffected areas.