PINELLAS PARK, Fla. — Many Pinellas Park residents may soon see lower flood insurance costs after the city received a class 5 designation through FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Premium Community Rating System.
The new rating means many residents can receive a 25% discount on purchased or renewed flood insurance policies starting Oct. 1. The city’s previous class 6 designation allowed for a 20% discount.
State Farm agent and Pinellas Park resident Joanne Dauphin said the change could have the biggest impact for people in areas with higher flood risk.
“Anybody in a high-risk area is actually going to see the most savings,” Dauphin said.
Pinellas Park Planning and Development Services Director Erica Lindquist said the class 5 designation reflects years of city work to improve flood resiliency.
“Our improved CRS rating is based on the past five years of work that we’ve done on drainage improvements, flood education, preserving open space, and some other things,” Lindquist said.
Any city can take part in the FEMA program and receive a class designation of 1-10.
Dauphin said Pinellas Park residents should contact their insurance agents to see whether they can save money or whether flood insurance is now more affordable.
“I would just encourage everybody to talk to their insurance agent about what they have, or if they don’t have it, maybe it’s more affordable now than it was,” Dauphin said. “It’s something that they should consider for their most important asset.”
Pinellas Park is one of three Pinellas County cities with a class 5 designation. The others are St. Petersburg and Dunedin.