Improved CRS rating increasing flood insurance discounts
ANNA MARIA – Anna Maria property owners who carry flood insurance policies issued through FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) will receive an additional 5% discount effective Oct. 1.
On Jan. 9, consultant and engineer Del Schwalls provided the commissioners with a detailed presentation about the city’s flood prevention and mitigation efforts. For the past five years or so, the Orlando-based Schwalls Consulting firm has provided the city with services that support and improve the city’s Community Rating System (CRS) rating that provides significant flood insurance discounts for Anna Maria property owners.
“The Community Rating System is FEMA’s way of rewarding communities that go above and beyond the national minimum standard regulations – the bare minimum from FEMA you have to do based in the National Flood Insurance Program,” Schwalls said of city’s participation in the voluntary program. “For the actions you take as a community to reduce your flood damage, FEMA provides discounted flood insurance.”
Anna Maria currently has a class 6 CRS rating that provides a 20% discount for those carrying NFIP-affiliated flood insurance policies. Schwalls said the city was recently informed that its CRS rating is being changed to a class 5 rating that will provide a 25% discount for all NFIP-affiliated flood insurance policies, including automatic renewals, and the increased discount takes effect on Oct. 1.
Schwalls’ presentation notes that Anna Maria property owners currently collectively pay a little more than $1 million per year for flood insurance policies that provide more than $166 million in coverage. The city’s current 20% discount reduced those total premiums by $268,000 and a 25% discount will reduce those premiums by an estimated $335,000 in total discounts.
“That’s money that’s staying in residents’ pockets because the city is part of the CRS program,” he said.
According to Schwalls, FEMA designates the entire city as a flood zone and all buildings covered by an NFIP flood insurance policy, including those provided by private insurance companies, receive the flood insurance discount – unless the structure is on FEMA’s national violation tracker list.
Schwalls said the efforts of General Manager Dean Jones, City Planner Ashley Austin and other city staff members helped the earn the class 5 rating. He said the documentation of the city’s freeboard elevation requirements for new construction contributed significantly to the class 5 rating.
Anna Maria’s freeboard requirements are greater than FEMA’s minimum requirements and city regulations require the bottom of the support structure for the structure’s first elevated level to be 12 feet above sea level.
CRS GOALS
Schwalls said each CRS class equals a 5% discount. The goal is to get a class 4 rating next year while working toward the ultimate goal of a class 1 rating that would cut flood insurance premiums by 45%.
“There are currently only two class 1 communities in the entire nation: Roseville, California and Tulsa Oklahoma. The city of Anna Maria would be the third. This is a big deal. For years I’ve been told coastal communities can’t be a class 1,” Schwalls said, noting he hopes to prove the naysayers wrong.
Schwalls later told The Sun the creation and implementation of a watershed master plan would help earn the city a class 4 rating. A watershed master plan addresses rainfall, tides, flooding, drainage and helps with the proactive management of watershed areas. Watershed areas include land from which water drains into a body of water or a man-made stormwater/drainage system.
During the January meeting, Schwalls said flood mitigation projects and drainage and stormwater system improvements and maintenance play significant roles in the city’s CRS rating. He acknowledged flooding will still occur on a low-lying barrier Island but the goal is to maximize the city’s drainage capacities to remove floodwaters as fast as possible. Preserving and/or obtaining conservation areas, undeveloped open space, mangrove areas, beaches and other natural habitats also contributes to a lower CRS rating.
“I know there isn’t a lot of open space in the city, but every little bit counts. A couple percentage points bring a huge return. FEMA says if you don’t build something in a flood zone, it doesn’t get flooded,” he noted.
Community participation also earns CRS rating credits.
“We need the residents; we need stakeholders to be involved in the process. We need to hear from you. What are the problems, what are the solutions and what messaging works best? There’s a lot of credit for that because FEMA knows that when we get everybody at the table we find a better solution to the problems. That’s going to lead to a class 1 and I think it’s very feasible,” Schwalls said.
The city’s promotion of flood insurance availability also helps improve the city’s CRS rating and Schwalls said there were 557 flood insurance policies in effect in Anna Maria as of Jan. 2.
“Two years ago, there were 799. That’s not a good direction. I know flood insurance is going up, but we saw a lot people who got flooded who don’t have flood insurance. The best way to recover from a flood is to have flood insurance,” he said. “It’s not ‘if’ another hurricane and storm surge is going to come to the city, it’s ‘when.’ What does a resilient city of Anna Maria look like and what are the activities we can implement that will get us there and cut your flood insurance premiums almost in half?”
The city of Holmes Beach currently has a class 6 rating with a 20% discount that’s expected to soon change to a class 5 rating with a 25% discount; and city officials are developing a watershed plan that would lead to even greater discounts.
The city of Bradenton Beach currently has a class 6 CRS rating that provides a 20% discount but FEMA recently red-flagged the city for potential post-hurricane FEMA compliance concerns. If left uncorrected, those compliance issues could result in Bradenton Beach property owners losing their flood insurance discounts.
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