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Pembroke Pines wins FEMA CRS upgrade; flood-insurance discount to increase Oct. 1, 2025
Summary
City leaders announced Pembroke Pines moved from CRS class 7 to class 5 under FEMA's NFIP, increasing the communitywide discount on qualifying flood policies from 15% to 25%, effective Oct. 1, 2025. Officials and staff said the change reflects local mitigation work and will reduce premiums for thousands of local policyholders.
Mayor Angelo Castillo announced at the March 5 Pembroke Pines City Commission meeting that the city received a class 5 rating under the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) Community Rating System (CRS).
The upgrade, which takes effect for qualifying NFIP policies beginning Oct. 1, 2025, raises the automatic community discount from 15% to 25% for residents who hold qualifying flood insurance, Mayor Angelo Castillo said. "The city recently received a class 5 rating from FEMA, National Flood Insurance Program community rating," Castillo said, noting staff and partners pursued flood mitigation activities that led to the change.
The move affects about 4,332 policyholders in Pembroke Pines; city staff estimated an approximate communitywide savings of $282,763 per year tied to the jump from CRS 7 to CRS 5. City Manager Dodge and City Engineer Kennedy joined the commission in thanking staff for the multiyear work that produced the result.
Why it matters: the CRS discount lowers premiums for policyholders who participate in NFIP and also signals that the city has undertaken mitigation and planning activities FEMA credits under the CRS program. Officials said Pembroke Pines is one of two Broward County municipalities with a class 5 designation.
Commissioners and staff urged residents to check with their flood insurance brokers about how the change applies to individual policies. City Engineer Carl Kennedy directed residents with questions about flood zones or policy eligibility to the engineering department and provided a contact number at the meeting.
Officials stressed the rating change does not eliminate flood risk. "We still have more to do with respect to flooding," Mayor Castillo said at the meeting, adding that the city will continue mitigation work.
Residents: the discount applies automatically to qualifying NFIP policies issued or renewed on or after Oct. 1, 2025; policyholders should contact their own brokers for policy-specific details.
