State Floodplain Management Program
The Florida Division of Emergency Management serves as the State Coordinating Agency of the National Flood Insurance Program to work with Florida's municipalities and counties to administer local flood damage reduction regulations. The Office of Floodplain Management promotes and ensures sound land use development in floodplain areas to promote the public’s health and safety, minimize loss of life and property, and reduce economic losses caused by flood damages.
The Office of Floodplain Management is a unit in the Florida Division of Emergency Management, Bureau of Mitigation. Floodplain Management Specialists work with Florida's communities to help them successfully manage development in flood zones. The office staff visits communities to offer technical assistance to improve the administration of local floodplain management ordinances and the flood provisions of the Florida Building Code and to monitor community performance to ensure compliance with the National Flood Insurance Program development regulations in Special Flood Hazard Areas.
The Office of Floodplain Management also coordinates and collaborates on the following activities:
- Map Modernization and FEMA Risk MAP priorities
- Integration of flood-resistant standards into the Florida Building Code
- Coordination with FDEM’s mitigation grant programs
- Integration of floodplain management concepts and tasks into multi-jurisdictional local mitigation strategies developed by counties and municipalities
- Participation in maintaining the State Enhanced Hazard Mitigation Plan and planning process
- Consultation with State agencies on state-owned facilities in special flood hazard areas
- Supporting training of local floodplain managers and building officials in partnership with the Florida Floodplain Managers Association (FFMA)
- Coordination with the Florida Dam Safety Program
- Partnerships with federal, state, and local organizations pertinent to floodplain management
The National Flood Insurance Program is a flood damage insurance program administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Residents and business owners are eligible to purchase NFIP flood insurance policies in communities that agree to regulate development in special flood hazard areas. These areas are delineated by FEMA on Flood Insurance Rate Maps. Learn more about NFIP flood insurance by contacting your insurance agent or company that provides your homeowner’s insurance.
The State of Florida has more than 22 million residents where 80 percent live or work along or near our coastline. Many other residents live and work near many of the State's rivers and other inland floodplains. Community officials, residents, and business owners are concerned about protecting lives and property from future flooding. As of late 2023, more than 1.7 million NFIP flood insurance policies are in force in Florida, representing nearly 35 percent of all policies nationwide. These policies equate to more than $342 billion of insurance coverage. Since 1978, Floridians have received more than $10 billion in claim payments. While flood insurance does not stop the damage, it does provide owners with financial resources to help recover.
What is floodplain management? For an overview of what Florida counties, cities, and towns must do to regulate special flood hazard areas, read the Florida Quick Guide for Floodplain Management.
FEMA Publications About NFIP Insurance
Visit FEMA Flood Insurance Outreach Publications and Resources to download publications, videos, graphics, and online tools for policyholders and others, along with brochures, flyers, and other publications.
Please visit the Community Resources Page to access the following resources and more.
- Community Guidance & Quick Guide for FPM
- Floodplain Administrator’s Post Disaster Toolkit
- Florida Building Code Resources
- Guidance, Ordinance Amendments, Florida Building Code Amendments, and Sample Forms
The Community Rating System (CRS) is a voluntary program, and provides for reductions of National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) insurance premiums for policy holders with insurable property in flood zones located within CRS communities.
Please visit the Community Rating System page for more information.
There are certain tasks related to substantial damage that must take plan post-disaster to remain in compliance with the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Substantial damage under the NFIP is defined as “damage of any origin sustained by a structure whereby the cost of restoring the structure to its before-damaged condition would equal or exceed 50 percent of the market value of the structure before the damage occurred.”
Please visit the Substantial Damage Resources page for more information about Substantial Damage.
Office of Floodplain Management
floods@em.myflorida.com
(850) 815-4556
