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Homeowners Not Required To Carry Flood Insurance

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By PAUL CATALA The Sun

The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 24, 2008

Although the hurricane season officially ended Nov. 30, much of Florida is still susceptible to flooding from the periodic heavy rainstorms that roll in throughout the year.
Sun City Center is no exception and that has caused many of its residents to buy flood insurance for their homes, some of which are in floodplains mapped out by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

However, due to the diligence of a two homeowners and a re-mapping of the floodplain by FEMA, homeowners are not required by the agency to carry flood insurance in order to have a government-backed mortgage.

And even though that became official in mid-October, there may be some new residents and even some who've been in the area for a while, that aren't aware of the exemption.

Dave Brown, a local civic activist who recently won Hillsborough County's Moral Courage Award for his efforts, and his neighbor, Joye Gasser, a former Community Association board member, worked to help get maps redrawn and assure hundreds of homeowners out of paying for unnecessary insurance.

Oct. 16, Patricia Bean, Hillsborough County administrator, released a letter from FEMA, stating that after a re-mapping of the Sun City Center area, only about 90 of nearly 1,000 structures were in special flood hazard areas and required to buy flood insurance coverage.

The problem, according to Brown, was the FEMA-Hillsborough County maps of the area lacked precise detailed flood contours. The maps were originally going to be released in November 2005, but were withheld to be redrawn after some residents asked why some homes were in floodplains, while others weren't. The county did a resurvey of the Sun City Center area and submitted the maps to be redrawn by FEMA, who accepted the maps in August.

As a result, more than 1,000 Sun City Center homeowners received notices that state their properties may touch water, but that their homes are above floodplain levels.

Those findings, said Brown, should save those homeowners with mortgages thousands of dollars because lenders wouldn't force them to buy expensive flood insurance.

Brown, who's lived in Sun City Center for 15 years, said the important thing for people to know or remember, is that homeowners - 20 to 40 percent of whom have mortgages - are now not required to carry flood insurance to get government-backed mortgages.

"Mortgage lenders may be considering a structure in a flood plain and that can cause insurance to go up as much as $1,200," said Brown. "The (FEMA) letter says you are not required to carry flood insurance to have a government-backed mortgage."

Gasser, who's lived in Sun City Center for 13 years, said she sent out 1,013 copies of the FEMA letter regarding the remapping to residents. She said it's important for residents and property owners - particularly those new to the area - to remember to keep a copy of the letter with their records.

Gasser said it would be important so a buyer wouldn't be forced to carry flood insurance, and that the new floodplain maps would be important to have in other area flood studies by the county or state.

"Having the maps corrected makes a difference. They're used for everyday for all sorts of projects done in the community," she said.

Reporter Paul Catala can be reached at (813) 865-1554 or pcatala@mediageneral.com.

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