New FEMA maps put 63.7% of Fort Lauderdale in high‑risk flood zone; city outlines steps to limit insurance impacts

Fort Lauderdale’s Infrastructure Task Force heard a presentation on new Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) flood maps that take effect July 31, 2024, and that substantially expanded the city’s Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA).

Mark Haggerty, floodplain manager for the city’s Development Services Department, told the committee the updated maps increased SFHA acreage in Fort Lauderdale from about 11,311 acres in 2014 to about 14,800 acres in 2024, raising the share of the city in the high‑risk zone from 48.7% to 63.7%. “If we don’t participate, we don’t get any federal funding,” Haggerty said, describing participation in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) as tied to eligibility for federal grants and disaster assistance.

The change means many more properties will be classified as having a 1% annual chance of flooding (the “100‑year” floodplain) and that mortgage lenders may require flood insurance for properties newly mapped into the SFHA. Haggerty said 13,853 structures are now inside the SFHA under the new map, and that the city currently has 34,764 flood insurance policies in force generating roughly $16 million in annual premiums.

Why it matters: The remap affects insurance costs and building requirements across the city and interacts with long‑term planning and capital projects. The presentation also laid out the city’s path to protect residents from rising premiums by pursuing better Community Rating System (CRS) discounts, which reduce flood insurance rates for policyholders.

What was presented: Haggerty summarized the FEMA remapping…