Sumter County Expands Floodplain Management Capabilities with Digital Tools for Residents and Staff

Sumter County is expanding access to critical flood risk information and modernizing internal workflows with the launch of its new public flood risk portal, powered by Forerunner - an AI-enabled geospatial platform designed to support community resilience and improve floodplain management operations.

The portal provides residents with property-specific insights into flood risk, empowering homeowners, buyers, and business owners to make informed decisions about preparedness and protection. In addition to improving public transparency, the platform supports Sumter County’s ongoing participation in the Community Rating System (CRS), a voluntary federal program that recognizes and rewards communities for advancing floodplain management practices. Through CRS participation, Sumter County residents may be eligible for reduced flood insurance premiums as a result of the County’s continued investments in public education, risk reduction, and mitigation efforts.

Internally, the County is leveraging Forerunner to significantly reduce the time required to review Elevation Certificates (EC), a historically manual and time-intensive process. By automating error detection and surfacing compliance issues earlier in the review cycle, staff can complete reviews more efficiently while maintaining accuracy and consistency across submissions.

“This platform gives our team the ability to spend less time reviewing paperwork and more time supporting residents,” said Chris Morrison, Floodplain Manager for Sumter County. “At the same time, we’re providing the public with a best-in-class resource to document and understand flood risk to take the necessary steps to protect their properties.”

Residents can use the Forerunner public portal to explore the interactive map, retrieve ECs that are on file, access FEMA flood zone data, and request personalized assistance through the County’s “Get Help” feature. Also, residents can now use the damage reporting form to timestamp, describe the damage, and have the capability to take or upload a photo from their phone to capture the damage or high-water marks during a flood event.  By combining user-friendly mapping tools with reliable, up-to-date risk data, Sumter County is advancing its commitment to more proactive floodplain management and launching this tool at the beginning of Florida’s hurricane season. 

“Forerunner is proud to support Sumter County,” said Susanna Pho, Co-Founder and COO of Forerunner. “The county’s team is building resilience from the ground up – making it easier for residents to navigate their risks and take meaningful steps toward flood protection.”

To learn more, visit Sumter County’s website or access the public risk portal at https://sumtercountyfl.withforerunner.com.