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Sarasota County Utilities, Water
Flood Protection -Community Rating System (CRS) Program
BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES
ADOPTED NATIONAL FLOOD INSURANCE PROGRAM AND REGULATIONS 1971
COMMUNITY RATING SYSTEM PROGRAM 1992
Have a Flood Emergency Plan, Prepare a Kit, and Stay Informed.

Everyone is in a flood zone with a risk designation of High, Medium or Low.  Most property insurance plans do not cover flood loss damages. There is a thirty day waiting period for coverage. Residential flood premiums for a medium to low risk property may be as little as $300 a year for both structure and contents.

To find out your flood risk or to calculate your premium visit www.FloodSmart.gov.

Communities with flood insurance coverage in force recover much faster when a flood event happens.  

County’s Best Management Practices for Flood Protection include: Adoption of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) 1971; and participation in the Community Rating System Program since 1992. The CRS rating is based on 18 creditable activities, organized under four categories: Public Information; Mapping and Regulations, Flood Damage Reduction, and Flood Preparedness. Among 22,000 communities, we are in the top six percent meeting three primary goals of the CRS:

Reduce flood losses  Facilitate accurate insurance rating  Promote awareness of flood insurance

Benefits:   Residents and Business Owners annually save between $5M and $6.3M on national flood insurance premiums since May 1, 2007. Approximately 47,000 property owners have in force protection for $11B in assets with the NFIP.  Should a flood event occur, those covered will make a claim and receive a check.

Flood history: Since 1982, property owners here have received over $24M in flood claims from the NFIP.

  Our local flood history

Why are we vulnerable to flooding? Tropical storm events, coupled with our flat topography and miles of coastline, barrier islands, waterways (i.e. rivers, streams, & canals). 

What is a floodplain? 
A floodplain is any area of land subject to inundation by water from any source with a one percent chance of occurring annually (based on scientific data).

Types and categories of flooding that can occur here include riverine (overbank, flash and subsidence); Shallow; and Storm Surge (wave action and erosion).    

Learn about urban drainage or
See real-time and historical rainfall data.

What is Surface Water Run-off?   
When the rainfall intensity exceeds the evaporation rate and infiltration capacity of the soil. 

Sarasota County's Stormwater Environmental Utility was formed in 1989. 

Is it floodwater or stormwater?

 

Floodwater

Stormwater

Flow directions in major streams

Water overflows the channel and moves away from the stream

Water runoff flows towards the channel or conveyance structure

Nature of stream

Large natural channel typically in a rural area

Small constructed or modified channel in urban area

Size of drainage area

Contributing drainage area is greater than one square mile

Contributing drainage area is less than one square mile

Stream flow

Continuous

Discontinuous

 
 

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