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Change in rating systems will cost Lee County residents millions

FEMA's downgrade of Lee County and several municipalities means flood insurance rates in the county will rise 25% starting in October.

By Louis Llovio
| 5:00 a.m. April 12, 2024
| 0 Free Articles Remaining!

Driving down Estero Boulevard, the main road that runs the length of Fort Myers Beach, the widespread destruction that Hurricane Ian wrought is still on full display.

Charlotte–Lee–Collier

A dispute between Lee County and the Federal Emergency Management Agency that could cost residents millions of dollars is drawing attention to the National Flood Insurance Program’s Community Rating System and its role in Florida’s troubled insurance market.

The system assigns points to localities and qualifies certain communities’ residents for discounts that can cut insurance premiums by hundreds of dollars each year.

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Louis Llovio

Louis Llovio is the deputy managing editor at the Business Observer. Before going to work at the Observer, the longtime business writer worked at the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Maryland Daily Record and for the Baltimore Sun Media Group. He lives in Tampa.