How will the new maps affect homeowners?

Risk Mapping
Floods can and do occur in the Sarasota County area. Flood risks vary from property to property and even within the same neighborhoods. Tropical events can create two flooding sources for our residents, storm surge and riverine (rainfall). The new maps will provide you with more up to date information on your flood risk. When the maps are adopted the high risk flood-prone areas will be referred to as Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHA)

Until the digital flood insurance rate maps (DFIRM) are adopted, residents and local officials may refer to two sources: the current paper FIRM; and any adopted Flood Studies recognized by their local jurisdictions. In Sarasota County and other jurisdictions both sources of risk mapping have already been utilized for development regulations.

Flood Insurance

• Most Homeowner's insurance does not cover flood damage.
• There typically is a 30-day wait after the purchase of a flood insurance policy before it becomes effective.
• Properties located in low or moderate risk flood zones (marked B, C, X or shaded X on the flood maps) can and still do flood; but property owners may be eligible to purchase a flood insurance policy, a Preferred Risk Policy, at reduced premiums.
• Historically, 20-25 percent of all flood claims paid out are on properties located outside of high risk areas,
  • known as Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHAs ).
• The higher up a property owner raises their structure above the base flood elevation in high risk areas (to a certain limit ), the lower their insurance premiums will be.
  •  A property owner in a high risk area could save as much as 50 percent in premium payments by building just two to three feet above the base flood elevation.
• Renters and owners can purchase flood insurance in our area through the NFIP and many can qualify for Community Rating System (CRS) discounts.

  Click here for Community Rating system (CRS) information

Hurricane Evacuation Zones
Though there is some similarity between the county's hurricane evacuation zone lettering and the flood map zone lettering (for example: A, B, C), they are not the same as they are determined very differently and have different meaning. Flooding can occur all throughout the county because of low areas, bodies of water and the way water runs off land. But all of these areas might not be in a hurricane evacuation zone because of their distance from the coast and other factors. To view what hurricane evacuation zone you are in, visit Sarasota County's Storm Center Web site.