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County improves its flood risk score

The new rating means homeowners will save an extra 5 percent on their flood insurance.

By ASJYLYN LODER
Published October 26, 2005

BROOKSVILLE - Hernando County recently received some good news: Homeowners will save an additional 5 percent on their flood insurance.

The discount is the result of the county's effort to reduce the area's flood risk, said county emergency management director Tom Leto during Tuesday's County Commission meeting. The county improved its federal flood risk score as of Oct. 1, making flood policyholders eligible for the additional discount, Leto explained.

"The rating is the cherry on top of a sundae. The real benefit is that the county is better prepared for flooding," he said.

Hernando County participates in a voluntary federal program that scores the county based on its flood risk and preparedness. Counties participating in the "community rating system" start with a score of 10 points. For every 1-point reduction, policyholders receive a 5 percent discount.

Hernando County has reduced its score from an 8 to a 7, meaning an overall savings of 15 percent for flood insurance policyholders, Leto said.

He said it took a team effort to reduce the score. For example, public works projects to widen roads included widening storm drainage pipes, Leto said. The county has widened drainage culverts, made efforts to better manage storm runoff, and insisted that builders elevate new homes built in flood plains, Leto said. All of this helped improve the score.

The score change brings Hernando County into line with Citrus County, which has a 7, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Hillsborough County has a 6, while Pasco and Pinellas counties each have an 8. The average score in Florida is just below 8, said Butch Kinerney, a spokesman for FEMA.

The program is voluntary and does not cost the county anything, Kinerney said.

"It's a benefit to the county government. Where the cost comes in is, how aggressive do you want to be about flood plain management?" Kinerney said.

Leto said he hopes to reduce the county's score to 6. Efforts to redraw and update the county's flood plain maps will help further improve the score, he said.

The score decrease means different savings for different homeowners. Flood insurance policies vary in cost, depending on the value of the home, the amount of insurance needed, and the location of the home, Kinerney explained. The national average for flood insurance premiums is $556 a year, he said.

Daniel Orban, a Hernando Beach resident for 14 years, said he pays $450 a year for flood insurance on his Lily Drive home. The latest scoring earns him a reduction of $22.50. But every little bit counts, he said.

"I'm glad they're doing something," Orban said.

The reduction would mean more to some of his neighbors, who own more expensive homes and still have mortgages, and as a result pay more for coverage.

For example, Orban said one of his neighbors pays nearly $3,000 for flood insurance, meaning a savings of $150 under the new rating.

Asjylyn Loder can be reached at aloder@sptimes.com or 352 754-6127.

[Last modified October 26, 2005, 00:44:15]