Fort Myers Beach, Lee County will keep FEMA flood insurance discount
Fort Myers Beach Lee County property owners who have flood insurance policies through the National Flood Insurance Program will be able to maintain their 25% discount, FEMA notified the town and county Friday. The City of Cape Coral also received a similar letter.
The news followed an appeal by the county, Fort Myers Beach, Cape Coral, Estero and Bonita Springs of a FEMA ruling earlier this year which would have taken away the discount over concerns FEMA had over permitless repair work done throughout the county after Hurricane Ian.
According to spokespersons for the town and county, FEMA restored the county’s rating while the town and county continue to work on a plan to address some continuing issues. That plan will be due Nov. 18.
“We feel as though we responded to FEMA’s request for information and felt that the information was accurate while meeting the requirements that were established prior to Hurricane Ian; however, we do look forward to working with FEMA to address any outstanding issues as they continue to explore the future of the Community Rating System and focus on ways that they can improve,” Town of Fort Myers Beach Manager Andy Hyatt said.
“We believe this is a positive step toward keeping the CRS rating for our unincorporated Lee County residents while we continue to remediate outstanding issues with FEMA,” Lee County Manager Dave Harner said. “Essentially the notification today provides the county an extension to further clarify our processes and preserve the CRS rating in the future.”
In March, Fort Myers Beach received a phone call from FEMA that the CRS Class 5 would be retrograded based on perceived noncompliance with the National Flood Insurance Program minimum standards, according to the town’s announcement of the ruling. This resulted in the town submitting documentation to FEMA.
Unincorporated Lee County, which includes the areas of the Fort Myers Beach zip code off island outside the town limits. joined the Community Rating System program in 1991. In February, FEMA determined that Lee County would retain its Class 5 CRS. In March 2024, FEMA initially announced plans to retrograde that class and remove the discount, prompting months of work on the part of FEMA and Lee County to clarify post-Ian activities and provide documentation requested by FEMA. That documentation was submitted June 3. (Fort Myers Beach Observer and Bulletin)
Andrew.Oliver@Compass.com