New FEMA Flood Insurance Maps Could Impact Homeowners’ Premiums

MANATEE COUNTY, FL — A new Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) flood insurance rate map goes into effect in Aug. 10 and may impact homeowners' insurance rates in Manatee County.

Most of FEMA's flood insurance rate map changes affect those living in the coastal areas of Manatee County and Gamble Creek in East Manatee, the county said in a news release.

Manatee County property owners can verify if their flood zone or base flood elevation (BFE) is changing at mymanatee.org/FloodZoneChanges.

In 2019, Manatee County hosted open house meetings with residents and notified about 10,000 local property owners that their property was either going into or coming out of a flood zone as a result of the new maps. Property owners are encouraged to talk to their flood insurance agent and obtain flood insurance before Aug. 10 to avoid potentially higher rates later, the county said.

If the flood zone or base flood elevation for a property changes, the flood insurance rate and the requirement to carry a flood policy may also change. By law, federally regulated or insured mortgage lenders require flood insurance on buildings that are located in areas at high risk of flooding, the county said.

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Standard homeowners, business owners and renters' insurance policies typically don't cover flood damage, the county added.

As a reminder, flood zone and evacuation zones are not the same things. One is used to determine your insurance rate and risk of flooding, while the other is used to determine when you should evacuate during a hurricane or tropical storm, the county said.