The City of Ocala is one of only eight participating communities within the United States to receive a Class 3 National Flood Insurance Community Rating System (CRS) rating.
The Insurance Service Office ranks each of the 1,500-plus communities across the country on a scale of one to ten, with ten being the least desired number, and the communities are graded on a point value system that translates to a category rating. The State of Florida contains two communities that have been awarded a Class 3 rating: the City of Ocala and Pinellas County.
The City of Ocala received its class 3 rating in July 2015 and has maintained that rating every three years since the verification process. For a community to be a Class 3 under the CRS, the community must meet or exceed the following prerequisites:
- A building code effectiveness grading schedule.
- Stormwater Management.
- Floodplain Management Planning.
- Flood Warning and Response.
According to the City of Ocala, this achievement is significant and reduces the flood insurance premiums for residents by 35%. This reduction equates to a collective annual cost savings of $311,828, as of December 2020.
Sean Lanier, City of Ocala Engineer and Water Resources Director, said, “Receiving this rating should provide peace of mind to our citizens. Reducing a community’s flood risk is a benefit to everyone, including a reduction in property damage, the ability to strengthen our city’s systems, and most importantly, cost savings to our residents.”
Maintaining a flood insurance policy is a significant part of protecting property and reducing the cost of flood disasters. Flooding is not covered by a standard homeowner’s policy. FEMA defines a flood zone as land areas with varying levels of flood risk. An area is determined based on factors such as rainfall, topography, and river-flow data.
For more information regarding flood zones within the city limits, click here to view the City of Ocala flood zone maps, or visit the FEMA webpage.
For more information on the CRS rating, please contact Stormwater Engineering at 352-351-6733.