After spiking premiums, nonrenewals and complaints about unpaid claims, more than 115,000 property owners in southwest Florida are now facing a new slap in the face after 2022’s Hurricane Ian: 25% higher flood insurance rates because local officials reportedly allowed subpar rebuilding for flood-damaged homes.
Governments in Lee County, Florida, which took the brunt of Ian’s storm surge in September 2022, said in a news release last week that the action from the Federal Emergency Management Agency is a “devastating blow” that came with no warning.
“Without any prior notice, FEMA verbally informed Lee County