Reminder: Contact your local insurance provider about National Flood Insurance Program rate changes
TAVARES — The Lake County Stormwater Section is reminding National Flood Insurance Program policy holders that on April 1, federal flood insurance premium increases will go into effect. Policy holders should contact their individual insurance providers for information regarding how the required federal rate changes will affect them.
The premium increases are in accordance with the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012 and the Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act of 2014. The changes will affect renewals and new policies written or renewed after April 1.
The National Flood Insurance Program allows some property owners to purchase flood insurance on eligible buildings and contents, whether or not they live in a floodplain. To find a local insurance agent in your area, visit www.floodsmart.gov.
Lake County participates in the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Community Rating System, whereby national flood insurance policies written for properties in unincorporated Lake County receive up to a 15 percent discount. This discount is directly related to the county’s higher regulatory standards for development within flood zones.
The Lake County Public Works Department’s Stormwater Section offers assistance in understanding the flood risk for properties in unincorporated areas of the County and potential flood zone permitting requirements.
A homeowner can decrease their chances of becoming a victim of flooding, by carefully considering the location of their building, constructing floodwalls and berms to divert water from the property, or retrofit the structure to make it flood-proof. It’s also important that the building site has the proper lot grading to insure that water is diverted away from any structures, dispersing it and collecting it in retention ponds or swales.
For more information about floodplains, contact Lake County Public Works at 352-253-9081 or email flood@lakecountyfl.gov. To view the floodplain map, visit this link.
