Flood Insurance Costs Cut In Davie
Release Date: November 6, 2004
Release Number: 1539-249
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ORLANDO, Fla. -- Property owners in Davie and four other Florida communities will pay 10 percent less for flood insurance, thanks to special efforts by local officials to reduce future flood losses, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the State Emergency Response Team (SERT) announced today.
The new flood insurance premiums took effect October 1, reflecting actions the communities took to educate residents about flooding, zoning rules and building regulations, and other mitigation steps.
Residents of Davie hold 18,562 flood insurance policies totaling $3.6 billion in coverage. The premium reduction will save policyholders more than $640,000. Statewide, Floridians hold 1,819,861 policies with $285 billion worth of coverage, more than 40 percent of the policies nationwide.
Other communities that earned reductions are Highlands County and the cities of Lakeland, Neptune Beach and Parker.
Davie policyholders will pay less for flood insurance because city officials preserve conservation land as open space, enforce rules for stormwater management and freeboard in non-flood hazard zones, provide ongoing drainage maintenance and inspections in developed areas, make flood zone information readily available, and rigidly enforce land development criteria.
Bill Carwile, federal coordinating officer for disaster recovery efforts in Florida, praised the town for its improved rating.
"They have earned peace of mind as well as lower insurance premiums," Carwile said. "Property owners should experience less flood damage in the future, and residents are also paying less for flood insurance."
Federally backed flood insurance is available to homeowners, renters and business owners in communities that adopt and enforce local ordinances that reduce future flood losses by regulating new construction. The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is administered by FEMA.
For information about flood insurance, property owners should contact their insurance agents or call the flood program's toll-free information line at 1-800-427-4661. Flood insurance information is also available at www.floodsmart.gov or at www.fema.gov/nfip.
On March 1, 2003, FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. FEMA's continuing mission within the new department is to lead the effort to prepare the nation for all hazards and effectively manage federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates proactive mitigation activities, trains first responders, and manages Citizen Corps, the National Flood Insurance Program and the U.S. Fire Administration.
Last Modified: Monday, 08-Nov-2004 13:15:03