The Federal Emergency Management Agency recently sent a letter to officials in Lee County, Florida alleging that hundreds of homes were rebuilt in violation of the agency’s rules following Hurricane Ian. The letter provoked a sharp backlash as homeowners struggle to rebuild following the devastating 2022 storm that destroyed a large swath of the county.
The controversy stems from how subsidized flood insurance from FEMA is administered. FEMA insurance comes with the stipulation that if a home in a flood zone suffers damages worth more than half of its value, it must be torn down and rebuilt so it’s elevated above flood level. This is an expensive proposition for homeowners, but it is intended to prevent U.S. taxpayers from paying for repeated destruction of homes in vulnerable locations.
It is up to local officials in damaged zones to enforce this rule, which is a condition for FEMA to provide discounted flood insurance to homeowners. FEMA’s letter to Lee County threatened to revoke the insurance discount, alleging that the county was lax in enforcing the rebuilding rule.
County officials received angry complaints from constituents and considered suing the agency in a heated meeting. In the aftermath, FEMA gave the county an extra 30 days to make the case that it hadn’t allowed homeowners to rebuild in violation of its rules.
FEMA’s letter indicates a change in the federal government’s mindset in that it is now prepared to crack down on continued risky construction in floodplains. How this situation plays out in Lee County will be watched closely by officials in other coastal areas vulnerable to storm damage and flooding. It may be a harbinger of how FEMA will address rebuilding efforts in the future.
Related Stories
75 Top Building Products | Dec 12, 2019
Top Building Envelope Products for 2019
Sto's beetle-inspired exterior coating and Dörken Systems' UV-resistant vapor-permeable barrier are among the 28 new building envelope products to make Building Design+Construction's 2019 101 Top Products report.
Resiliency | Apr 22, 2019
Turner Construction doubles down on jobsite efficiency
The company targets a 50% cut in greenhouse gas emissions and water use from construction activities by 2030.
Resiliency | Mar 29, 2019
Designing for resiliency: Lessons learned from Hurricane Florence along the Carolina Coast
Resilient design principles will be critical in preparing our communities for future storms, writes LS3P's Charles H. Boney, FAIA.
Resiliency | Mar 7, 2019
Building for resilience - All about RELi
Sustainable design strategies create more resilient buildings. However, only truly focused purposeful resilient design strategies will create the adaptation needed.
Resiliency | Feb 27, 2019
ResilientSEE: A framework to achieve resilience across scales
Conceived in the Boston studio of Perkins+Will, the ResilientSEE team developed a resilient planning framework that can be applied to other neighborhoods, cities, and countries.
Sustainability | Oct 25, 2018
As project delivery models evolve, designers rethink their role
New York City’s newest university campus, Cornell Tech, pushes the limits of sustainable and resilient design.
Resiliency | Sep 4, 2018
It takes more than money to fund resilience
Resilient design, much like all projects in the built environment, requires funding.
Resiliency | May 17, 2018
Architects brief lawmakers and policy-makers on disaster recovery as hurricane season approaches
Urge senate passage of disaster recovery reform act; Relationship-building with local communities.
Resiliency | Feb 21, 2018
Resilience team selected to help protect a vulnerable Bridgeport, Conn., from floods
The design and construction project would perpetuate efforts that date back several years.
Resiliency | Jan 24, 2018
A luxury community in Florida mandates resilience in new-home construction
Alys Beach’s in-house GC builds to standards set by the FORTIFIED program.
