As Fort Myers Beach and four other Lee County municipalities wait to hear from FEMA on reinstituting their Flood Insurance discount, FEMA wants feedback from the public on their rating system. The agency will also hold meetings in August to get additional feedback.
FEMA is seeking input on the suggestions and approaches for a redesigned Community Rating System. This is based on public input from the August 2021 request for information (Docket ID “FEMA-2021-0021”) and recommendations from the July 2023 Government Accountability Office report, FEMA’s New Rate Setting Methodology Improves Actuarial Soundness but Highlights Need for Broader Program Reform (GAO-23-105977).
The purpose of the redesign is to enhance the Community Rating System’s effectiveness, promote resilience, and mitigate the financial impacts of flooding on communities. CRS Redesign is a multi-year effort intended to take a comprehensive look at the CRS program, exploring both incremental improvements and bold shifts in approach. FEMA is exploring the future of the Community Rating System with a focus on ways the agency can improve the Community Rating System to:
- Incentivize communities to take measurable actions and make sustained progress that reduces current and future flood risk
- Embed equity as a foundation of the Community Rating System program
- Incentivize communities to promote property owners to purchase flood insurance to reduce their financial exposure to flood risk
- Deliver a community participant-centered and modernized program
The Community Rating System is a voluntary incentive program that recognizes and encourages floodplain management practices that exceed the minimum requirements in the National Flood Insurance Program. The agency is evaluating the Community Rating System’s potential to provide ongoing support for state, local, tribal, and territorial governments’ goals and needs around floodplain management.
FEMA will host three 90-minute public meetings to explain the suggested alternative program features and how to provide information for public comment. Participants must register in advance and will be confirmed on a first-come, first-served basis.
Anyone interested may register online and attend a public meeting on:
- 2 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Aug. 21. Register here
- 3 p.m. ET on Thursday, Aug. 22. Register here
- 3 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Aug. 27 / Tribal Nation focused Register here
Written comments must be submitted by Sept. 9 on the Federal eRulemaking Portal, Docket ID: FEMA-2024-0022. Follow the instructions on the page for submitting comments and contact the Regulations.gov Help Desk if you have technical issues. Visit FEMA.gov for more information about the Community Rating System