The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has been causing problem after problem since Joe Biden took office. As the responding agency for federal disasters, they have a huge responsibility. Part of that responsibility is to hurricane victims. Now FEMA has taken away the 20-25% discount on flood insurance in Lee County, FL.
With 125k property owners being impacted by this change, it came with no notice to the insured or even in the local media. FEMA ascertains that they gave local officials multiple warnings that the discount would be taken away if they didn’t comply with the agency’s building demands to prevent future disasters. Residents are blown away by the revelation, with 600 building permits awaiting approval to come into compliance, they have been doing the right thing.
According to local outlet E&E News, the discount to residents in the area was about $370 per policy, adding up to $35-$40 million already in 2024. In place since 2007, residents still have a chance to enjoy the savings with the rate increase not being enacted until September 30th.
This change and the repair efforts are coming in response to the still ongoing cleanup after Hurricane Ian back in 2022. When FEMA failed to show up promptly with emergency relief funds, Republican Governor Ron DeSantis called them out on their failures. With the Biden administration taking their sweet time paying out, they paid out $2 billion in response to the Category 4 hurricane.
In a statement to the Daily Caller in response to the announcement, a FEMA employee said, “We are committed to helping these communities take appropriate remediation actions to participate in the Community Rating System again and work towards future policy discounts.”
