Officials given new flood zone maps

Review will begin; Palm Beach County rates are at stake

Barring further objections, Palm Beach County could have a new flood zone map in place by next summer, an official of the Federal Emergency Management Agency said thisweek.

FEMAspokesmanDanon Lucas said letterswere mailed tocommunity leaders Monday that start the clock toward adoption of the first newflood maps in the county since the1980s.

The letters notified officials of the resolution of all appeals stemming from maps proposed in 2014 that shifted 62,041 parcels out of low-risk flood zones and into highrisk zones, where purchase of flood insurance is mandatory for anyone with a federally backed mortgage.

Appeals of those proposed maps would save tens of thousands of property owners millions of dollars by shielding them from being placed into the mandatory flood insurance zones.

Flood zone maps are used to set insurance rates by predicting how high waters would rise after a stormthat has a1percent chance of occurring in any year.

The FEMA letters included revisedmapdrawings thatcommunity officials will study to determine whether requested revisions were made, said Ken Todd, Palm Beach Countywater resource manager.

Theletters trigger a 30-daycomment period by local officials. If no errors are identified, FEMA will issue a “letter of final determination” in February, giving Palm Beach County and its cities six months to inspect the proposed final maps before voting whether to formally adopt them.

Those final local votes are required for residents of the county and cities to be eligible for discounts offered as part of the National Flood Insurance Program.

New flood zone maps would take effect inAugust.

“The timeline depends on what comments come in during the 30-day comment period, and how long it will take to address them,” FEMA’s Lucas said.

Todd said he plans to closely compare the plans sent this week with previous maps to make sure all requested changeswere made.

Public inspection won’t be allowed until the proposed final maps are released, scheduled for February.

Many of the appeals focused on areas that FEMA had placed in flood hazard zones where none previously existed, particularly around theC-51 canal.