Debbie:

Thank you for your thoughtful email. It would be far more consumer friendly to wrap flood and wind from hurricanes into a single policy. Sadly, the flood program is a Federal Government program, administered as if it were an actual insurance policy, but with distinctly different rules and procedures. For example, the flood program bars the states from jurisdiction over any aspect of the flood policies, from inception all the way through claims settlements. Whereas all other perils are insured under state rules for the insurance companies doing business in the state.

One of the proposals we did receive was that Florida might secede from the National Flood Insurance Program altogether, as Floridians pay a significant share of the annual premiums. The difficulty there however, is that the flood program does not have it's premiums calculated at actuarially sound rates, therefore, a Florida Flood Program would cost more for the same coverage.

I hope this helps in providing some insight into the problem. The problem is very real, and needs to be resolved so that property owners aren't caught in the middle.

Just an anecdotal note. My own home is not in a flood zone. My Citizens bill is about $5,400 right now, but my flood policy is only $317. I'm happy to have the flood coverage in case I do get hit by a big surge, and I find the low flood premium to be comforting, even if not required.

We'll be happy to hear from you at any time. Spread the word on our website. We want more Floridians to become engaged in the discussion.

Best regards,

Dan