Flood hazard maps, also known as Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs), are one tool that communities use to know which areas have the highest risk of flooding. These maps assist property owners in making decisions about protecting their property, and are a tool for engineers, architects, builders, community planners and local officials to make determinations about where and how new construction and development should be built.
FIRMs show how likely it is for an area to flood. Any place with a 1% chance or higher of experiencing a flood each year is considered high risk. The low and moderate-risk zones are represented on the FIRMs by the letter "X". The inland high-risk zones are designated as "AE, AO and AH". Coastal high hazard areas that are subject to high velocity wave action are designated as "VE".
On December 31, 2019, FEMA released Preliminary FIRMs for Broward County, including the City of Fort Lauderdale. Those maps were superseded by updates on February 25, 2021. Residents and businesses are encouraged to view the maps by visiting our GIS Flood Zones App.
The 90-day Appeal and Comment Period for the proposed FIRMs started on November 24, 2021 and ended on February 22, 2022. You can find more information on the appeal process here: https://hazards.fema.gov/femaportal/STAMPFHDREST/FHD/HTML/NOTICE/ID/71799630.
For general questions about this 90-day appeal and comment period, flood maps and Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) revalidation, please contact the FEMA Mapping and Insurance exchange at 1-877-336-2627 or by e-mail at FEMAMapSpecialist@riskmapcds.com. For questions about flood insurance, please contact a local insurance agent. General map change and flood insurance information is available here: https://agents.floodsmart.gov/sites/default/files/fema_map-changes-and-flood-insurance_brochure_10-2021.pdf
To view the effective Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) for Fort Lauderdale, the Broward County Flood Insurance Study (FIS), or to download Letters of Map Change (LOMA or LOMR), please visit the FEMA Map Service Center. To view the FIRMs and determine if a property is in a Special Flood Hazard Area, please visit our GIS Flood Zones App.
To request a Flood Risk Information Letter or other general information about flood insurance rate maps, coastal high hazard areas, flood depths at your property, natural conservation areas and wetlands, flood insurance, floodplain management regulations, and ideas for protecting your property from flood damage, please contact the Floodplain Group by email at PCardenas@FortLauderdale.gov or complete the following form.