Florida Flood Zone Maps and Information (2024)

FAQs

How do you check if a property is in a flood zone in Florida? ›

You can get your overall flood risk at www.floodsmart.gov and enter your address. Your official FEMA flood zone map can be found online at FEMA's Map Service Center, or through your property appraiser's office.

The interactive “What is My BFE?” address lookup tool can help you compare the current effective and revised flood hazard data available for your property. You can access the What is My BFE? tool through the FEMA Region II Coastal Outreach website at http://www.region2coastal.com/sandy/table.

Yes, every property is in a Flood Zone. Flood Zones are determined by FEMA Flood Insurance Studies based on the risk of flooding. High risk flood zones include A, AE, AO, V, and VE. Flood Zone X is considered a minimal risk area and doesn't usually require the purchase of flood insurance.

Florida law requires that a seller of residential real property make certain disclosures to a potential buyer. However, Florida courts have been split on whether a tendency to flood must be disclosed because Florida law does not require any type of flood disclosure.

High-risk flood areas begin with the letters A or V on FEMA flood maps. These areas face the highest risk of flooding. If you own a property in a high-risk zone and have a federally backed mortgage, you are required to purchase flood insurance as a condition of that loan.

Leesburg

Leesburg, Florida is considered one of the safest places in the state when it comes to the risk of hurricanes. It has a hurricane and tropical storm score of zero and it also has a low flood score. It is located in central Florida's Lake County and has a population of more than 31,249 people.

The analysis found that Cape Coral, Florida has the most properties — and the largest percentage of properties — at substantial risk of flooding nationwide: more than 90,000 properties, or almost 70 percent of the city's stockpile. Cape Coral is a city of 200,000 on the southwest coast of Florida.

A high-risk area has a 1 percent or greater annual chance of flooding and a 26 percent chance of flooding over the life of a 30-year mortgage. High-risk areas are shaded red or orange on the map. The coast areas, shown in purple, are also considered high risk.

What does BFE mean in flood zones? ›

The elevation of surface water resulting from a flood that has a 1% chance of equaling or exceeding that level in any given year. The BFE is shown on the Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) for zones AE, AH, A1–A30, AR, AR/A, AR/AE, AR/A1– A30, AR/AH, AR/AO, V1–V30 and VE.

Buildings and structures in flood hazard areas including flood hazard areas designated as Coastal A Zones, shall have the lowest floors elevated to or above the base flood elevation plus 2 feet 1 foot (305 mm), or the design flood elevation, whichever is higher.

How much is flood insurance in Florida? The average price of flood insurance in Florida is $760 a year. Prices range from $541 in low-risk flood zones to $2,472 in high-risk areas.

The Environment Agency offers a free flood warning service that enables people in flood warning areas to receive flood alerts and warnings by telephone, text and email, even if you are not at home when they are sent.

Flooding is a serious risk in Florida due to the state's geography, the frequency of storms, and proximity to water, both inland and on the coast. Insurance to cover this risk is not typically provided in a homeowner's policy, so it must be purchased separately.