Lee County committed to saving flood insurance discount following FEMA announcement

After FEMA's announcement of an extension of a plan that would cancel flood insurance discounts, Lee County and its municipalities vow to work toward saving them.

“The county will work with its partners at FEMA during a 30-day extension period, which was granted in the just-received letter,” wrote Lee County Spokesperson Betsy Clayton in an email.

Lee County and the municipalities affected by the decision to cut discounts that allow residents to save 25% on National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) premiums, met with FEMA representatives late Monday.

Those affected have till May 9 to provide the needed information and documentation to keep their discounts.

Alongside unincorporated Lee County, this includes Bonita Springs, Cape Coral, the Town of Fort Myers Beach, and the Village of Estero; a total of 699,000 residents.

Previous coverage FEMA gives Lee County a chance to save flood insurance discounts after push back

Original announcement FEMA slashes 25% flood insurance discount in Lee County, blames unpermitted construction

What caused this issue with the ratings?

FEMA’s letter to Lee County on Monday states that because of a large amount of unpermitted work, lack of documentation, and failure to properly monitor activity in special flood hazard areas, including substantial damage compliance, since Hurricane Ian hit the area on Sept. 28, 2022, will result in the loss of class rating that ensures them savings on flood insurance.

The changes were announced in late March and are scheduled to go into effect on Oct. 1.

County and municipal governments have to meet federal guidelines for area homeowners to qualify for policies under the NFIP.

The NFIP conducts a field visit every three years to audit floodplain management activities and flood-mapping records. Municipality governments then receive a rating from the Class Rating System program.

The Class Rating System is a voluntary federal program that recognizes and encourages community floodplain management activities exceeding the minimum NFIP standards by providing incentive premium discounts.

The discounts are given out in 5% increments using a 1-10 rating system, with Class 10 being low risk and Class 1 being high.

What's being done to address this issue?

In a press release on Tuesday morning, the county announced work on a landing page dedicated to this issue that will include documentation and other information.

Cities such as Cape Coral are working toward saving their discounts.

"Our hope through this whole process is to make sure that we provide a case to FEMA, so they may take a look at the decision that they made and try to retain our rating," Cape Coral Mayor John Gunter said on Tuesday.

Gunter said the 30 days are meant to give them time to clarify any "factual misunderstanding, (and) submit any new information to clear up any deficiency identified by FEMA."

"This is a positive step forward, we always wanted the opportunity to be able to engage and have that two-way communication with FEMA," he said.

Cape Coral, like other affected municipalities, has its staff addressing outstanding concerns.

Last week, the city officials said they need to evaluate 54 properties to determine whether any violation exists under NFIP regulations.

"This is our number one priority for the next 30 days," Gunter said.

The mayor hopes that through the process, the city can establish better practices and communication with the agency.

Luis Zambrano is a Watchdog/Cape Coral reporter for The News-Press and the Naples Daily News. You can reach Luis at Lzambrano@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @Lz2official.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Lee County working to save discounts on flood insurance