County vows to continue fight with FEMA over flood maps (FEMA screw-job update).

The Naples Daily News ^ | 06-12-03 | By DIANNA SMITH,

[AAABEST]

It's rare to hear a politician say his goal is to get a crowd of more than 500 people worked up. But Jim Coletta said he wasn't a politician on Wednesday night. He said he was, and is, a civic activist. The Collier County commissioner and other county officials are enraged by the new flood maps proposed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. They say the maps aren't based on historical data and are inaccurate, such as incorrect names for city roads and streets.

It's rare to hear a politician say his goal is to get a crowd of more than 500 people worked up.

But Jim Coletta said he wasn't a politician on Wednesday night.

He said he was, and is, a civic activist.

The Collier County commissioner and other county officials are enraged by the new flood maps proposed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. They say the maps aren't based on historical data and are inaccurate, such as incorrect names for city roads and streets.

The map changes could result in a 60 percent increase in flood insurance premiums for some property owners and would require flood insurance for Golden Gate Estates residences currently not required to have flood insurance.

Collier County residents get a closer look at flood maps proposed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency on the stage of the Gulf Coast High School auditorium during a meeting Wednesday night. Local officials say the flood maps are inaccurate and outdated and could result in flood insurance increases for some county residents. The meeting, organized by local officials, was held to update residents on the county's plans to contest the maps with FEMA. David Ahntholz/Staff

Coletta and others say the Golden Gate Estates area is not known to flood.

"We've got to make a point," Coletta said before a meeting at Gulf Coast High School on Wednesday night. "We want to get everybody a little worked up. When everybody here leaves tonight, they're going to be mad, but well-informed."

County officials hosted the meeting to let residents know that, although their flood insurance may skyrocket after Oct. 2, which is when FEMA wants the maps to take effect, the county plans to continue to fight FEMA long after October.

The Collier County Commission and the Naples City Council hired a consulting firm to study the maps and prove that what FEMA proposed is incorrect. The county is paying $188,000 or 80 percent of the cost of the study, while the city is paying 20 percent, or $47,000.

FEMA officials have told county officials that they are willing to consider changing the maps, but that the city and county have to do the legwork to prove the maps are incorrect.

Although FEMA officials were invited to attend Wednesday's meeting, they were unable to show because they were attending a statewide hurricane conference.

As people entered the auditorium at Gulf Coast High School, most immediately signed a petition stating they do not want the FEMA maps implemented. Officials hope the petitions help the county's fight to postpone enforcement of the maps until the late fall of 2004.

Joe Schmitt of the county's community development division said the consulting firm's study will not be completed until November 2004.

Golden Gate Estates resident Susan Murphy said if the county doesn't win its fight against FEMA, she is afraid she will have to move.

"I know I can't afford it," Murphy said. "I'm a small business owner. People are saying they'll have to move, too."

Ed "Ski" Olesky of Immokalee said he wants to help the county in its battle with a federal agency.

"I'm not worried about making people mad," Olesky said. "I want to do anything to correct this. To me, it's stupid."

After Coletta managed to quiet hundreds of restless residents, Schmitt talked briefly about the maps, but residents began to interrupt Schmitt and some accused the county of not protecting them.

Coletta quickly took a microphone and said they were yelling at the wrong people.

"Beating up on my staff is not going to solve the problem," Coletta said.

About 30 minutes into the meeting, residents began to swarm the stage to view the proposed maps, which were spread on the stage floor. Others began asking questions about their own property and many people decided to leave.

"We don't have time to sit around," Jeannie Manos said after leaving the auditorium. "At this point, it would be more beneficial to contact the state representatives. It's a very worthwhile fight."

Coletta encouraged the residents to sign the petition and/or contact their representatives to enlist their support.

FEMA's zone for the Estates doesn't assign properties an elevation above which a home must be built to avoid having to pay the big insurance premiums. That means every homeowner — even those who live above the flood level — will pay the biggest premiums.

Flood insurance rates for homeowners in the new flood zone could be up to $2,200 for a $150,000 house, compared with $600 now. The new zones fall generally east of Ninth Street Southwest and Ninth Street Northwest in the Estates, including non-Estates parcels south of Immokalee Road, north of Interstate 75, in Orangetree, Big Corkscrew Island and parts of Immokalee.

FEMA's proposed changes include adding 600 properties to the county's highest-risk zone. Those properties, from Port Royal to Seagate, are now in a lower-risk zone. That could increase those properties' flood insurance premiums by 60 percent.

Another change would remove about 300 properties from a zone where flood insurance isn't required, creating the need for those property owners to buy the insurance.

Hundreds of additional properties will fall under FEMA guidelines under the new maps. Those property owners will not be able to renovate more than 50 percent of the dollar value of their property. Instead, the owner would have to rebuild to follow FEMA standards.

[AAABEST]

This is nothing but a bald-faced ripoff as FEMA is running out of the giant bags of your money they pass out every time an executive wants to get in the good graces of constituencies afflicted by an act of God.

My area has literally been under a full frontal assualt by my bought and paid for county commission, governor's cabinet, and these rogue agencies under the charge of our President. You're witnessing the attempted wholesale destruction of a community and it's residents livelihoods, to placate the immoral ends of the influential and greedy.

I attended this meeting last night and wrote this email on the subject if you need more info.

[backhoe]

TripleA, I'm flagging this to myself to try read later- FEMA tried to royally ripoff my town in the mid-1980's- claimed the barrier islands out to sea were a lesser flood risk than the city of Brunswick, which is on the mainland.

( Hint- the richer folks live on the islands, and this would have lowered their insurance rates... at our expense. )

I'll try to get back later- I try to stay offline when my wife's on the road to & from work, in case she needs a hand.

[AAABEST]

Ping to my friends, family, property rights people and other SW Florida Freepers.

I'm supposed to do an interview with WINK on this later. Henry Lamb indicated he'll be running the email I sent out in the next edition of Eco-logic. I'm honored that a property rights heavy hitter like Henry even reads my emails. He's a golden guy who has been kind enough to take time from his busy schedule to edit and give feedback on some of my "writings" in the past.

[DoughtyOne]

F Every Mature American

Course they have to get in line behind the the Department of the Interior, the national park service and the EPA...

any questions...

[AAABEST]

LOL BH, You're always so "concerned". God bless you my friend.

[farmfriend]

Rights, farms, environment ping.

Let me know if you wish to be added or removed from this list.

[E.G.C.]

BTTT!!!!!!

[Treebeard]

When FEMA redid their flood maps in July 2002, my home was redrawn into a "Flood Zone", and I was advised by my mortgage company that I must obtain flood insurance immediately.

My house is on a hillside, and the last time our "hill" was covered by a flood, there was a big wooden boat resting on top of it. I went to the county offices and looked at FEMA's own maps. My property was clearly NOT in the zone they said it was, but that wasn't sufficient proof. I had to buy the insurance, up front, and THEN proceed to fight their flood zone designation.

After a cash outlay of about $500.00, which included a survey of my property, FEMA issued a letter of map amendment saying, no, my property wasn't in the flood zone after all.

We won the battle, but $500 bucks is quite a bit of money to throw away on fighting an arbitrary (and incorrect)designation by the feds. Of course, none of it is refundable.

[DLfromthedesert]

Best of luck in your fight. You're fighting for the rights of every American, most who are still blissfully unaware of the ever-growing tentacles of a greedy government.

[RightWhale]

There is a fundamental inaccuracy in the FEMA maps. They are based on the USGS maps and the USGS maps are not intended for enlarging to the point that individual property lines can be accurately portrayed. Local municipalities often have suitably precise maps these days, but the feds won't use them. One size fits all.

[hattend]

FEMA officials have told county officials that they are willing to consider changing the maps, but that the city and county have to do the legwork to prove the maps are incorrect.

Since these are NEW maps how come FEMA doersn't have to prove they are correct? What was wrong with the old maps?

[AAABEST]

I can tell that you know what you're talking about. We have very good models done by our local engineers. FEMA says they'll consider them, but I know that they won't because the science is not an issue here, money is. The pigs want money and they're going to take it from those who they can get away with taking it from.

Simple legal robbery. Isn't it odd that whenever they "discover" that (EUREEKA) that their flood maps have changed, it's always a bunch of properties that have to be added to the flood zone. They never seem to "discover" that a bunch need to be removed.

That's because they're plundering thieves.

[AAABEST]

What was wrong with the old maps?

The old maps didn't enable them to extort millions of dollars from my friends family and neighbors.

[Fearless Flyers]

Hey John,

Sorry to hear you all are still being pounded with those Willing Seller Blues.

The Rebellion goes on my friend.

[AAABEST]

Your situation is intentional. See, they could give half a crap if your property is flood proof. For every diligent person like yourself who spent hundreds to prove them wrong, there are ten who just shut up and paid them off.

They're well aware of this dynamic and the process is intentionally difficult and costly. I find it particularly enraging that the same oranization (FEMA) that is responsible for raising the money is the one that determines who pays.

The way this and other rogue agencies operate nothing less than anti-American. The un-elected career bureaucrats that are making these sweeping arbitrary "declarations" are given monarchal powers, to which they commence to abusing ASAP. The FWS came here not too long ago and "declared" boat docks dangerous to Mantees and quit issuing dock permits (yes Fish and Wildlife is the federal agency charged with handling dock permits). Now they're looking at mandating slow speed zones that will turn a 20 minute journey to the gulf a 3 hour ordeal, further destroying our marine and tourist business.

I'm not kidding when I tell you my area is literally under assualt. These are just a few examples.

That being said I'm glad that you were able to prevail. God bless.

[Treebeard]

You're absolutely correct about paying the money. We've become (on the whole), so blindly obedient to any edict from a federal agency that we just automatically take out our checkbooks. "Honey, FEMA says we have to have flood insurance, OK?"

In this case, the flood insurance was only $250 per year, so it'll take me two years to recoup what I spent in fighting the flood designation. I wonder how many people even know they can fight the designation?

FEMA didn't issue a declaration to me in writing, they notified my mortgage holder, who sent me the letter, and it only said flood insurance was a requirement, it was not the bank's fault, but nothing about how to fight it, etc. I had to research that on the web.

They have so many confusing zone designations: X, AE, B, C, that the average homeowner just rolls over and takes it.

It is a typical federal agency tactic to issue a decree from on high that is immediately to be viewed as gospel, and adhered to. If there is any disagreement, the onus of proof is on the dissenter instead of the Feds. They are right by default.

[Thud]

My favorite FEMA flooding story ran in the San Francisco Chronicle about 25 years ago.

FEMA decided that the 4-mile across, bounded on three sides by salt water, fully built-up City And County Of San Francisco was in a flood zone such that it could not receive any federal funds for anything until it filed a flood control plan.

FEMA made this call because its statistics showed that there had been one death from flooding in San Francisco in the previous year.

The dude was a wino who fell asleep in a gutter. A gush of water from a burst water main pinned the sleeping wino against a car so he drowned. San Francisco's Congressman - my godfather Phil Burton - got FEMA to change its ruling.

[NovemberCharlie]

FEMA's zone for the Estates doesn't assign properties an elevation above which a home must be built to avoid having to pay the big insurance premiums. That means every homeowner — even those who live above the flood level — will pay the biggest premiums.

This is a bit ridiculous; you can't build your house on stilts as a means of flood protection?

We have a similar problem here in Houston; the FEMA maps don't bear any resemblance to the actual floodplain.

[Eustace]

Nobody is willing to fight where it can make a difference , before it gets violent.

That's at the polls and it's not sticking with tradition of voting democrat or republican , it's voting third party for CHANGE.

Everybody falls for the "Shell Game" if we had a republican house or if we had a democratic house , and the politicians feed the fire with "party" differences and lack of bypartison support.

WELL , let's see , who are all of them supposed to be supporting?

If you ask me they have failed big time at supporting citizens and have succeeded in supporting themselves and their masters.

The whole time citizens watch as their CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS disappear in front of them , while politicians use treaties , executive orders and special cabinets to completely change our form of government.

Why , so they can prove to YOU that our Constitution is outdated and stopping us from having a better life.

It's Our Constitution that prevents them from BEING the TOTAL TYRANTS that they want to be.

Most American's give PATRIOTISM lip service. Boy it feels good though when the president calls us all patriotic for supporting our troops ( which has nothing to do with securing our Freedom ), which he used to secure a nest egg for himself and Cheney.

Just like a car salesman complimenting you on being such a smart shopper.

Let's compare the American politician to the communist politician and see where the difference is.

In 1848 Karl Heinrich Marx wrote the communist Manifesto ( my reading says he reintroduced it from an earlier time )

1. ABOLITION OF PROPERTY IN LAND AND APPLICATION OF ALL RENTS OF LAND TO PUBLIC PURPOSES.

A heavy progressive or graduated income tax. ( I'll capitalize this in a different article )

3. Abolition of ALL right of inheritance.

4. CONFISCATION of the property of all "emigrants" and "rebels".

Remember WHO gets to define this. As it stands now , ANYONE who repeatedly refers to our Constitution or is willing to fight the federal government or UN to protect it is considered a "TERRORIST". HEY , didn't we just go to Iraq to defend this?

Oh no that's not right , we went there to eliminate WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION.

No , that's not right , we went there to FREE the Iraqi people while our government STEALS American's FREEDOM'S.

Ah who cares , the rich people in America got richer and a few of us died. Sounds like all the other "WARS" the world has had.And hey , if we go along they will give us some of the jobs THEY have shipped out of our country , while flooding us with immigrants ( to take the jobs WE don't want ).

5. Centralization of credit in the hands of the State , by means of a national bank with State capital and an EXCLUSIVE MONOPOLY. This is that INNOCENT thing called the FEDERAL RESERVE , which is a privately owned monopoly that nobody wants to talk about.

6. Centralization of the means of communication and transport in the hands of the State. Is it just me or does that sound like Gore the bore?

7. Extension of factories and instruments of production owned by the State ( what a surprise ) , the bringing into cultivation of waste lands , and the improvement of the soil generally in accordance with a common plan. The common plan is "We" pay for the clean up of the mess they made and they continue to profit from our labor.

8. Equal libility of all to labor. ( I think that used to be called slavery )Establishment of industrial armies , especially for agriculture. Now I know why so many Mexican's are being shipped into our country and dying in railcars and trailers.

9. Combination of agriculture with manufacturing industries; gradual abolition of the distinction between town and country by a more equable distribution of population over the country. BIG TIME EXECUTIVE ORDER.

10. Free education for all children (by the government) in public schools. Abolition of children's factory labor in it's present form. ( remember this was written a long , long time ago. Combination of education with industrial production. Good CORPORATE citizens , not a FREE thinking populace.

If You people can actually look at what our country is going through and accept this for your children , I must be in the wrong country.

[Publius6961]

Right.
FEMA.

Don't get me started!