For a full resource guide on flood protection and related topics, visit the Miami Beach Flood Awareness page.
Miami Beach is a coastal, sunkissed island surrounded by the beautiful waters of the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay. The City has a low elevation, near sea level, and this can cause drainage challenges and flooding from heavy rainfall, high tides, and storm surge. We want you to be aware of flood risk but also know that Miami Beach is leading the way locally and nationally to reduce flood risk today and in the future from climate change and sea level rise projections.
Miami Beach is investing in our City through incremental adaptation. We are doing this through 3-main approaches:
• Using the best available science and engineering,
• Addressing critical public infrastructure needs of the more vulnerable areas while taking a deliberate and measured look at longer-term strategies that reduce flood risk and improve the quality of life, and
• Addressing private infrastructure through land use changes and guidance that reduces flood risk for private properties.
Miami Beach Saves You Money on Flood Insurance
The City of Miami Beach is committed to increasing flood awareness and helping residents stay safe and protect their homes. Miami Beach has also been able to increase flood insurance premium savings citywide. The Community Rating System (CRS) of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), is a voluntary program allowing communities to earn flood insurance discounts based on the City’s overall rating score and property characteristics.
Miami Beach pursued an aggressive goal to improve its CRS ranking from a Class 6 to a Class 5 and was officially awarded the new score in 2019. As a result, new policies and renewals after May 1, 2019, can save 5% more on flood insurance premiums in comparison with last year. This translates into nearly $2 million in new savings citywide. While most properties qualify for the discount, please contact your flood insurance agent to discuss your flood insurance policy details. Miami Beach has participated in the CRS program for many years. We now receive a 25% discount, which totals $8.6 million in savings. This helps offset increasing federal rates.
The City received official notice of recertification in April 2022, to retain our Class 5 rating, enabling our community to continue receiving flood insurance discounts. FEMA’s Class 5 certification letter can be viewed here. To examine the flood zone maps using Miami-Dade County’s interactive web tool, and read this fact sheet for more information on flood insurance.
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