Florida Flood Insurance, Answered

Flood is the coverage Floridians most often skip and most often need. Call (813) 499-9347 for a free flood zone determination on your address.

Am I in a flood zone?

Everyone in Florida is. The whole state is mapped, and the real question is whether your address sits in a high risk zone or a lower risk one. Lenders require flood insurance in high risk zones. Nobody requires it elsewhere, which is why so few people outside those zones carry it.

Hillsborough County’s coastal flood maps were updated effective October 7, 2021, replacing data from 2008 that no longer reflected development or shoreline change. If you bought before then and have not re-checked, the zone on your closing paperwork may not be your zone any more. We run the determination at no charge.

My homeowners policy covers water damage. Is that not the same thing?

No. Homeowners covers water coming from above and from inside, such as a burst pipe or a roof leak. Flood is water rising from below, and it is excluded from every standard homeowners policy. Storm surge is flood. So is the rainfall that overwhelms a drainage system and comes in under your door.

If I am in a low risk zone, is it a waste of money?

More than 20 percent of NFIP claims come from low risk zones, and those areas receive roughly a third of federal disaster assistance for flooding. Outside a high risk zone the premium is rated on the property itself under FEMA Risk Rating 2.0, not on a zone-based preferred table. It is a decision worth making with the actual number in front of you rather than an assumption.

What is Risk Rating 2.0 and did it change my price?

FEMA replaced its old zone-based pricing on October 1, 2021. Premiums are now driven by your building’s own characteristics, including distance to water, elevation and replacement cost, rather than a zone line alone. For some properties that raised the price and for others it lowered it. It also made the private flood market genuinely competitive on many Florida homes, which is why we quote both rather than defaulting to NFIP.

Do I still need an elevation certificate?

It is no longer required to buy an NFIP policy under Risk Rating 2.0, but if you have one, keep it and send us a copy. It can still improve your rate, and it is the document that settles arguments with a lender about your zone and base flood elevation.

Is there a waiting period?

Usually 30 days for a new NFIP policy, with limited exceptions such as a loan closing. This is why buying flood coverage as a storm approaches does not work. The time to arrange it is well before hurricane season, not during it.

Does flood insurance cover my belongings?

Building and contents are separate coverages and you have to buy both. Contents is not automatic. And flood policies treat below-elevation space, such as a ground-level enclosure or a finished basement area, very differently from living space. If you store anything of value down there, ask us how it would actually be treated.