Public Meetings Set For Proposed Flood Insurance Rate Map Changes

PINELLAS COUNTY, FL -- Pinellas County property owners may soon see changes in their flood insurance requirements.

To help explain the changes and what actions property owners may need to take, Pinellas County and the Federal Emergency Management Agency are partnering to hold four open house meetings Sept. 25 – 27. The meetings will provide information to property owners that may be affected by proposed changes to the Flood Insurance Rate Map.

FIRMs show the extent and risk for flooding and are used to determine flood insurance premiums and building requirements. FEMA released the updated map in June, and many property owners are seeing a projected change in their flood risk. Residents can view their map change by clicking here.

Data has been updated since the original release in late June, so property owners who checked the map earlier should do so again.

The meeting dates and sites are as follows:

• Tuesday, Sept. 25: YMCA at Lealman Community Campus, 5175 45th St. N., St. Petersburg, 6 – 9 p.m.
• Wednesday, Sept. 26: Countryside Recreation Center, 2640 Sabal Springs Drive, Clearwater, 6 – 9 p.m.
• Thursday, Sept. 27: Seminole Recreation Center, 9100 113th St. N., Seminole, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. and 6 – 9 p.m.

Home and business owners, renters, real estate agents, mortgage lenders, surveyors and insurance agents are encouraged to attend. The community meetings will be held in an open house format to allow residents to talk to insurance specialists and technical experts who can explain the coastal modeling used to create the preliminary maps. Representatives from FEMA, Pinellas County, several cities and the Southwest Florida Water Management District will be in attendance. A customer service representative will be available to answer basic questions in Spanish.

Residents planning to attend are advised to bring their elevation certificates if they have them; however, they are not required. In some cases, the certificates may be downloaded here for properties in the unincorporated county or obtained from the cities in which the property is located.

Image via FEMA

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