Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) illustrate flood hazards throughout communities in Miami-Dade County and are an important resource in preparing properties and businesses for flood-related disasters.

FIRMs are used to rate flood insurance policies, to set safe elevations for new construction and substantial improvements to existing buildings and to describe potential flood hazards by location.

Miami-Dade County staff has worked closely with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) to ensure the new revised FIRM's are accurate and have considered the most current data available.  Following are some brief comments on the new FIRM's and the general changes that have occurred.

Overall, the new FIRM has changed zones in approximately 42 % of the area of the County. The changes include areas such as Everglades National Park and other federal and state lands where construction is not expected to occur.

2 % of the FIRM has changed from low risk areas (X zones) to Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHA).  Residents in these areas will have to buy flood insurance if they do not already have it.  If they have flood insurance and keep the policy in place, the cost of the policy will not go up.

34 % of the area was re-classified from the high risk SFHA (AE zone) to the low or moderate flood risk zones (AH zone).  This means residents may realize some flood insurance savings.

2 % of the FIRM has stayed in the SFHA, but elevation requirements within these zones have    increased.  This means residents in these areas may have to pay more for flood insurance.

4 % of the FIRM has changed from the SFHA to low risk X zones.  Residents in these areas no longer are required to purchase flood insurance as a condition of seeking a mortgage from a federally-regulated lender.  However, lenders can still require the purchase of flood insurance if they wish.

Because FEMA did not approve a coastal model to use for coastal areas when the study was being performed, none of the cities on our barrier islands has had serious changes to the FIRM's.  Residents in these areas should not be adversely affected.  No coastal reanalysis was performed, but the coastal flood risk may be reanalyzed in the future.

For more information about the new Flood Insurance Rate Maps, please call 305-372-6466 or the County's Answer Center at 3-1-1.