We are very fortunate to be living in St. Johns County for many different reasons.  One important fact that you may not be aware of is that St. Johns County has participated in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) since 1973.

The NFIP is a federal program enabling property owners in participating communities,  such as St. Johns County, which includes The Neighborhoods of World Golf Village, to purchase insurance protection against losses from flooding.  The NFIP was established by Congress in 1968 and is based on an agreement between local communities and the Federal Government (FEMA), stating that if a community will adopt and enforce a floodplain management ordinance, to reduce future flood risks to new construction in Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHA), the Federal Government will make flood insurance available within the community, as a financial protection against flood losses.  A SFHA is a high risk area (A or AE), defined as any land that would be inundated by a flood having a 1-percent chance of occurring in any given year (also referred to as the base flood).

This is a great benefit to those of us living in St. Johns County; to know that flood insurance is available for properties, irrespective of the flood zone designation in which your property may be located; High Risk – A or AE (also known as SFHA), moderate risk – B or shaded X,  or low risk – C or X .  Homes located in the Coastal Barrier Resources System (CBRS) are the only exception.

For many people, their home and its contents represent their greatest investment.  You may not realize it but property losses due to flooding, are not covered under most standard homeowners’ insurance policies.  Therefore, homeowners in St. Johns County can be secure in the fact that they can protect their home and its contents with flood insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).

In addition, for participating in the NFIP, FEMA agrees to make federal disaster assistance available in the event that the participating community is declared a federal disaster area.

If you have any questions regarding the NFIP in St. Johns County, you can contact the Flood Plain Manager-Jim Paula (jpaula@sjcfl.us), Community Ratings Systems Coordinator, Ben Powelson (bpowelson@sjcfl.us) or Debbie Gober (dgober@sjcfl.us).