On Monday FEMA notified the Town of Fort Myers Beach that it had met the requirements to be removed from probation under the National Flood Insurance Program, effective November 18, 2025.
FEMA says the Town accomplished the five action items they needed to in order to come off probation.
On his Facebook page Mayor Dan Allers thanked “Town staff, community members, Congressman Byron Donalds, Senator Rick Scott, Senator Ashley Moody, and our partners at FEMA for working tirelessly to make this possible. Together, we are building a stronger, safer, and more resilient Fort Myers Beach.”
Here’s the full letter which was sent to Town Manager Andy Hyatt:
Dear Mr. Hyatt:
I am very pleased to inform you that the Town of Fort Myers Beach has met the requirements to be removed from probation under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), effective November 18, 2025. This will end the $50 surcharge that was added to all NFIP policies within the Town limits as part of the probation action on November 18, 2024. This decision is the result of the long hours and hard work that you and your staff has dedicated to addressing the five action actions identified by letter on July 19, 2024.
These action items were:
1. Develop and submit a plan that includes actions and timelines to address all identified program deficiencies and violations to the maximum extent possible.
2. Assess all floodplain development from Hurricane Ian in the Special Flood Hazard Area,
ensuring that permits for all repairs, construction and development were obtained consistent with local floodplain management regulations.
3. Provide documentation that demonstrates your community is leveraging its code enforcement process to address new and existing code cases for all structures not confirmed as compliant.
4. Put a process in place to ensure substantial damage compliance for future events.
5. Remove noncompliant structures that were incorrectly permitted and should not have been placed in the Special Flood Hazard Area.
The Town accomplished the first and the fourth action items by submitting a plan to address deficiencies and establishing a process to ensure substantial damage compliance for future events by the deadline of November 18, 2024.
For action items two and three, a review of the updated information shows that the Town has completed the required reassessment of their Special Flood Hazard Area as required by action item two and is continuing to leverage their Code Enforcement process to remedy non-compliant structures. Regarding action item five, the Town is taking steps through court proceedings to address previously identified noncompliant structures.
The next step is to schedule a Community Assistance Visit (CAV) no later than August 31, 2025. The CAV ensures the Town is enforcing its floodplain management regulations and meeting the minimum standards of the NFIP. A key component of the CAV is an assessment of noncompliant structures in the Special Flood
Hazard Area. The Town must demonstrate that all noncompliant structures are brought into compliance to avoid additional NFIP sanctions and to be reconsidered for the Community Rating System (CRS). The earliest date for reinstatement to CRS is April 1, 2026.
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