Item N20Revised 3/99
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY
ADD -ON
Meeting Date: December 13, 2000 Division: BOCC
Bulk Item: Yes No X
Department: COMMISSIONER NELSON
AGENDA ITEM WORDING: Approval of the Board of County Commissioners to initiate
discussions with the Federal Emergency Management Agency for the purpose of
reviewing the FEMA Inspection Program and for the County to postpone the
implementation of the program for ninety days, until the new County Commission can
have an opportunity to review the program with FEMA.
ITEM BACKGROUND: The County has entered into an agreement with FEMA which
has been promulgated through the code of federal regulations for an insurance
inspection program. There is now a new County Commission that has not had the
opportunity to work with FEMA on this program and it is appropriate that they have such
an opportunity to represent the concerns of the citizens. This is significant because of
the five County Commissioners, three are newly elected, and there has been a Florida
Circuit Court ruling which could impact the ability of the County to enforce the program_
PREVIOUS RELEVANT BOCC ACTION: As stated above.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Approval.
TOTAL COST: BUDGETED: Yes ❑ No ❑
COST TO COUNTY:
REVENUE PRODUCING: Yes ❑ No ❑ AMOUNT PER MONTH
YEAR
APPROVED BY: COUNTY ATTY ❑ OMB/PURCHASING ❑ RISK MANAGEMENT ❑
DIVISION DIRECTOR APPROVAL:
DIVISION DIRECTOR NAME: LftomMISONE!kMURRAYNELSON
DOCUMENTATION: INCLUDED: ❑ TO FOLLOW: ❑ NOT REQUIRED: X
DISPOSITION: AGENDA ITEM #: A_
ADD -ON
Commissioner Murray Nelson
Plantation Key Govt. Center
88820 Overseas Highway
Tavernier FL 33070
PH (305) 852-7175
FAX (305) 852-7162
Reasons to Request a 90-DU Stay
1. Judge Payne has ruled that the County has no authority to mandate
removal of illegal downstairs enclosures that were built prior to 1996.
2. That the current Monroe County commissioners do not understand and
are not a party to the existing FEMA mandate.
3. Homes in flood zones should have the same right to flood proof their
downstairs enclosures as commercial owners do.
4. It is an economical reality that it is cheaper to obtain alternate insurance
on an illegal enclosure that is rented for low cost housing, than to pay for
removal and lose the supplemental income.
5. The cost to Monroe County to implement the inspection program will be
an enormous disservice on taxpayers already burdened by additional taxes
for waste water, storm water and higher property values with little result in
the removal of downstairs enclosures.
Nab
Comm. Murray Nelson -2- Reasons to Request a 90 Day Stay
6. Loss of "A" zone downstairs enclosures will severely impact housing for
our police, firemen, teachers, tourist industry workers and our low income
minority workers and prevent them from finding appropriate living quarters.
This would cause an exodus of our working citizens, threatening our
economic vitality.
7. The Florida Keys has very little land to build affordable housing to
replace removed downstairs enclosures, unlike Texas and Louisiana which
create 40% of all repeated flood loss claims.
S. That the counties in Florida that account for the majority of flood claims
are all located on the west coast of Florida and are not treated in the same
negative manner as the Florida Keys.
9. That only homes and businesses located in "V" zones should be subject
to inspection as they represent the only property that is subject to wave
action.
F: FEMA90DAY, 12/12/00
Commissioner Murray Nelson
Plantation Key Govt. Center
88820 Overseas Highway
Tavernier, FL 33070
PH (305) 852-7175
FAX (305) 852-7162
Recommended FEMA Advisory Board
1. Monroe County Commissioners Murray Nelson & Dixie Spehar
2. State Representative Ken Sorenson
3. U.S. Representative Peter Deutsch
4. U.S. Senator Bob Graham
5. U.S. Senator Bill Nelson
6. Governor Jeb Bush
7. Islamorada Mayor Jim Mooney
8. Marathon Mayor Bob Miller
9. Key West Mayor Jimmy Weekley
1 O.Key Colony Beach Mayor Ed Sheahan
11.Layton Mayor Carol MacLaren
12.Ocean Reef Club PAC David Ritz
13.Monroe County Administrator Jim Roberts
14.Monroe County Attorney Jim Hendrick
AUGUST 13, 1998 %74,X%aatn PAGE 3
d bank robb
Of 'alkers an ers
jaywr
Here's some, information that should gladden the
• Twenty percent of the properties that flood over
hearts ofconspirzcy buffs in the Keys:.
and over again are not even in the designated 100=
While the Federal Emergency Management Agency
year floodplain.
is threatening Keys' property owners with loss of
• Less than 30 percent of the properties in designat-
flood insurance over illegal downstairs enclosures, it
ed floodplains even have flood insurance, mostly
is paying out billions of dollars in insurance claims to
because federal disaster aid picks up the bill anyway.
properties that flood over and over and over again.
"Higher Ground" uncovered 300 communities with
This information comes from "Higher Ground," a
properties that have been flooded repeatedly — defined
three-year study conducted by the National Wildlife
as sustaining two or more flood losses of at least
Federation based on FEMA data on -repeated flood
$1,000 each in any 10-year period. A repetitive loss
losses in the last 18 years.
community is one that has at least one repetitive loss.
• There is a single-family home in Houston that has
Fourteen Florida locales that fall into that category,
been flooded 16 times in the last 18 years. The
making the Sunshine State No. 6 in the amount of .
National Flood Insurance Program has paid a total of
repeated flood loss claims made nationwide. Except
$806,590 in claims — for a house that's worth
for the Village of Key Biscayne, all of the areas are in
$114,000.
the top half of the state, the majority of them on the
• Texas and Louisiana led the country . in total
gulf coast. They include Pinellas County and its towns
repeated flood insurance claims — $1.1 billion. Those
of St. Petersburg, Madeira Beach, Clearwater and
two states alone represent 40 percent of all repeated
Dunedin; Belleair Beach in the Panhandle; -Sarasota
loss claims.
County, including Treasure Island; Tampa; Pasco
• Nationwide, the flood insurance program has
County_;_Jacksonvifie; Citrus County; and Longboat
dished out more than $416 million in claims on homes
Key near Bradenton.
that are worth only $307 million.
Here are some of the solutions posed by the National
Wildlife Federation that should be acted on immediately.
• Areas .that are" repeatedly flooded should be bought
at fair -market, pre -disaster prices. Buying these. prop ,
or getting the buildings ;on them ;elevated,'...
1`erties,
.
would cost 35'.percent of the `total` amount of'claims
paid out;onthe'm in the'last 18 years. That would have- ;
saved`nearly $1`.7 billion'during that time frame 4
That number is significant, considering the =NF1P;
has 'had :to borrow $810 -million from:the Treasury;'
since *1995 to cover, the_claims;made' i n'excess. or the! ;.
premiums paid
.—Repeatedly floodedrlands — most of which is caused ..',
by river`and stormwatecflooding -. would revertback
to their 'natural states, i tlands This could';' as;j , ,
aquifer recharge areas and improve the',overall envy '
j
ronment
• ,[f property owners didn't want to sell, thetraflood
.
tnsurance : premiums: should reflect th'e number Hof
clams; just atke with auto;msurance ,Right now,' pre
miuins are the same whether a propertyhas never been:
flooded or has been.flooded 16.times in" 18 years. This
is an issue for Congress fo address.:,
• Fix the flood'maps. Something isseriouslywrong .
when fully20 percent of flood insurance claims come,
from areas. where the federal government says- flood-
ing.virtuallydoes not exist
Given the.;scope of the ,problems with'flood insur-
ance nationwide,.. why -. is, :FEMA investing so ; much
'
.energy (in.'terms of threats).with,our downstairs enclo-,
surest It's.like being'ticketed for jaywalking while the.
'bank across the street,is.being robbed. We're the 98-
pound weakling to. FEMA's sand -kicking bully:
Without help from Sens. -Bob ,Graham and Connie.
Mack, and Rep. 'Peter Deutsch in Washington, it's
clear we'll be punished while larger transgressions are
ignored.
DEC-12-2000 15:22 FROM:
TO:305 852 7162 PAGE:01
INSURANCE
AGENCY, INC. ,
December 12, 2000
PAX TO: Commissioner Murray Nelsen
FROM: John Crowell
RE: Lloyds Flood Quotation
Dear Commissioner Nelsen:
--\ � 3 � ':
JI�M-
DEC 12 2000
FAX #: 852-7162
Sort ANC
As a follow-up to your telephone conversations Bob Regan has
been able to secure a flood quotation for you through the
alternate flood market of Lloyds.
Based on the same $250,000 on building coverage that you
currently carry with $52,500 in contents, the alternate
quotation through Lloyds is $413.83. The rating on this policy
is such that if you have no losses in the last three years and
are coming off a prior policy, there is a 20% discount on the
base premiums plus factored in the fees and taxes, there can be
a small reduction in your flood cost. However, if there have
been prior losses of any kind, the rate would go up considerably
to $.55 per hundred for the first level, $.70 for the excess,
which would bring the premium to $1.,918.00. As you can see, it
is not a bad deal on a loss free account but for those people
have had a flood loss, it can become brutal. One must only
assume that if a policy such as this is in force and a loss
takes place, that the following renewal will go up accordingly.
Please contact us upon receipt.
Best vpgaras,
?'T/M owell
/sk
PLANTATION KEY. 90144 OVERSEAS HIGHWAY, TAVERNIER. FLORIDA 33070-2229
TAVERNIER: (305) 852-3234 — MARATHON- (305) 743-3414 — FAX: (305) 852-3703
(107)
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