CLEARWATER, Fla. — The City of Clearwater is preparing to update its flood maps for the Alligator Creek watershed, a change that could put hundreds of homeowners into new flood zones and require many to buy flood insurance.
At an open house on Thursday, homeowners packed the room to learn how their properties might be affected.
City Floodplain Administrator Gene Henry said the new modeling has been underway for more than five years and focuses on the central northeast part of Clearwater, known as the Alligator Creek Watershed.
WATCH: As flood maps change, some Clearwater homeowners could be forced to buy flood insurance
The base flood elevation will change for roughly 3,000 homes. Additionally, Henry said hundreds of properties will see their flood zones change, with roughly 300 of them moving into higher-risk zones.
“If it’s changing, or if it’s coming a lot closer, that tells them that they’re close to a flood risk, and they need to make some decisions,” he said.
He added that his recommendation is for all homeowners in the area to carry flood insurance.
Clearwater resident Mark Reithmaier said he came to the meeting to see if his property’s flood zone designation would change.
“I don’t think we’re in a flood zone,” he said, explaining his house sits higher than Alligator Creek.
He learned his designation is not changing, but he carries a flood policy anyway.
Another homeowner, Lisa Hollensead, said she was surprised to learn the intersection near her home is slated for a high-risk designation.
“We purposefully purchased our home out of a flood zone,” she said. “That is why this was such a shock to us.”
If a property moves into a high-risk designation, a homeowner would be subject to FEMA’s 50 percent rule, which requires properties substantially damaged in a flood to be demolished, relocated, or elevated. Such homeowners would also be required to purchase flood insurance if they have a federally-backed mortgage.
According to Henry, National Flood Insurance Program policies typically range from about $1,000 to $3,000 dollars a year.
Henry said city staff are willing and ready to help Clearwater residents navigate the flood map changes. If you have questions, you can call the city of Clearwater Planning & Development Department at (727) 562-4567.
Residents can check the new Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) online at https://clearwaterfl.withforerunner.com/ to see if a property’s flood zone or base flood elevation has changed.
As the city explains, when on the map, find the "Effective FIRM" tab, press and select “Preliminary FIRM,” which is the proposed map. You can then toggle between the two maps.
“You know, it might just be time we take a look if HOAs are really even necessary.
Maybe we should just do away with homeowner associations as a whole.”
South Florida lawmaker Rep. Juan Carlos Porras (R-Miami) says it may be time to do away with homeowners associations altogether, as more Floridians speak out about rising fees, costly lawsuits, and even arrests tied to HOA disputes. He said this week that he is considering filing legislation in the next session that would abolish HOAs statewide.
