Posted on 06/12/2003 1:48:48 PM PDT by 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.
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"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.
Peace
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