Floodplain management is the operation of a community program of preventive and corrective measures to reduce the risk of current and future flooding, resulting in a more resilient community. These measures take a variety of forms, are carried out by multiple stakeholders with a vested interest in responsible floodplain management and generally include requirements for zoning, subdivision or building, building codes and special-purpose floodplain ordinances.
While Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has minimum floodplain management standards for communities participating in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) which the City does, in 2012 the City of Mary Esther passed a 28 page ordinance adopting requirements at the local level to safeguard the public health, safety, and general welfare and to minimize public and private losses due to flooding through regulation of development in flood hazard areas.