PORT CHARLOTTE — If you want to get a jump on dramatic changes anticipated in federal flood insurance, listen in on the meeting today of Charlotte County Commissioners.
The county’s mapping experts will present what they know about how insurance could change for property owners. The board workshop begins at 9 a.m. in the county hearing room, at 18500 Murdock Circle in Port Charlotte.
What county staff won’t be telling commissioners is the new flood insurance rates. Those figures will not be released until April, with new rates scheduled for October 2020.
Also on the workshop lineup is an update on the status of a proposed climate change resiliency compact for Southwest Florida. County officials and staff have been attending preliminary meetings of this regional group with neighboring counties. The group could emulate similar compacts already formed in Florida, including in the Miami area and the Tampa Bay area.
A change in flood insurance triggers a big alert for Charlotte County, where 40% of owners of structural property are in the high hazard zone, county officials have said in the past. About 60% of land is in that zone.
Most flood insurance is handled by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. It has not changed its rating methodology since the 1970s, according to the county’s report.
The county’s Washington D.C. lobbyist warned commissioners of planned changes last spring. He described how FEMA wants to change to a system that more accurately measures the chances of flood damage for each structure.
Also on the agenda is a review of new state legislation for affordable housing, which allows the county to more easily waive impact fees for builders of affordable housing.
0 Comments
Post a Comment