Palm Beach County Homeowners Find Out If They’re in a Flood Zone

Many Jupiter residents say they didn’t live in flood zones years ago, but that has changed.

With new FEMA flood maps going into effect next month, some will have to start buying flood insurance.

That’s what prompted nearly a hundred Palm Beach County residents to visit the Jupiter Community Center to find out if their homes were in flood zones, as Steve Tassini did.

“Well, I was actually a little surprised because I live relatively close to the beach, about half a mile. So it’s quite safe to find out that I’m in the so-called zone X,” Tassini said.

Zone X means low risk. New changes to FEMA maps will force many to purchase flood insurance.

Tassini is already paying for it, and prices have been rising over the years.

“It went up 50 to 40 percent in four years, which is better than my home insurance, but still quite expensive,” Tassini shared.

Tassini says he pays about $900 for flood insurance, which is the price he’s willing to pay to protect his home.

“I’m not going to take any chances,” Tassini said.

Steve Tassini told WPTV that his flood insurance “has gone up 50 to 40 percent in four years, which is better than my home insurance, but it’s still quite expensive.”

The Carl family also came to get answers about their future Juno Beach apartment.

“We’re hopeful that we’ll find out that this is not a flood zone,” Felicia Karl said.

They face a difficult decision due to the high costs of flood insurance.

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“We would like to be able to buy one of the units, but the flood map would really make that decision difficult if it affected us,” Felicia said.

About 5,000 properties have been rezoned to high-risk flood zones, while 900 properties have been rezoned to low-to-medium-risk flood zones, according to FEMA.

The Carls came looking for answers about their future apartment in Juno Beach.

Palm Beach County officials say if homeowners don’t purchase flood insurance by Dec. 20, they could face higher insurance rates later.

Meanwhile, the New York Carls are waiting to make sure their future home isn’t damaged.

“We had to deal with Sandy a few years ago,” James Carl said. “And we don’t want to deal with flooding again.”

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