There Will Be Floods: Armoring the People of Florida to Make Informed Decisions on Flood Risk

In Florida, floods are a big risk because of the low elevation and being surrounded by water. Miami and Tampa-St. Petersburg are ranked as some of the most vulnerable cities in the world. But in Florida, there are no laws requiring sellers or landlords to tell buyers or renters about the risk of floods. This is unlike 29 other states. This article talks about why it’s important to know about flood risk when buying or renting a home, and how Florida can make it a law to tell people about flood risk before they move in or buy a home. In Florida, there are few requirements for property sellers to disclose flooding risks to buyers, and even fewer for landlords to disclose to renters. This puts renters, especially those with lower incomes, at a disadvantage because they may not know the flood risks in their area. Some other states have recognized this problem and have passed laws to require landlords to disclose flood risks to renters. The need for accurate information is important for renters so they can make informed decisions about where to live and avoid artificially inflated rents due to undisclosed flood risks. As flooding in Florida gets worse, it’s important for both homeowners and renters to understand their risk of flood damage. When you’re buying or renting a property in South Florida, it’s important to know if it’s at risk for flooding. This can cause damage to the property and create health hazards. By disclosing this information, sellers can help you make an informed decision and prepare for any potential problems. When selling or renting a property, the seller or landlord needs to tell the buyer or renter if the property has ever been damaged by fire, wind, or flooding. They also need to say if the property is in a flood zone and if flood insurance is required. This information should be given at the start of the process so that buyers and renters can make informed decisions. Florida should have a law that makes sellers and landlords tell buyers and renters if the property is at risk of flooding. A bill was introduced, but it didn’t pass. Some counties have their own rules, but it’s not consistent across the state. There’s a group of counties in South Florida working together to deal with climate threats, and they could make a policy for flood-risk disclosures. Florida is at high risk for floods due to climate change. The state should implement flood-risk disclosures to help people protect themselves and their homes. This will provide tools to minimize the harm caused by natural disasters like floods. Currently, Florida has not taken action on this issue, unlike most other states. It’s important for Floridians to advocate for flood-risk disclosures to protect themselves and their communities. In Florida, there are no laws that require people selling their homes to tell buyers if the property has a history of flooding. This can be dangerous for buyers because they might not know about the risk of flooding. Renters also might not be told if the place they want to rent is in a flood zone. Without this information, people might end up living in a dangerous place, especially in a place like Florida that can have a lot of floods. This is not fair because homes in flood-prone areas should be worth less and be seen as risky. The Florida Housing Coalition’s report highlights the affordability crisis in Florida, which makes flooding even more problematic for vulnerable communities. In Texas, laws have been passed to provide more flood risk disclosure protection for home buyers, but renters are not given the same protection. When buying flood insurance, homeowners need to provide an elevation certificate to determine insurance rates. The special flood hazard areas are places where there is a 1% annual chance of flooding, also known as the 100-year flood zone. This information is really important for people who rent homes in areas that are at risk of flooding, especially if they don’t have a lot of money. They might not know that they can get cheap insurance to cover their things if there’s a flood, unless their landlord tells them or they look it up. There are also some new laws being talked about in Florida that might help with this. Just knowing if a home is at risk of flooding could also help renters make better decisions. In this column, the Environmental Law Section wants to teach its members about their duties to the public and how to make sure laws are being followed. The section also wants to improve how the law is practiced and learn more about the study of legal principles.

Source: https://www.floridabar.org/the-florida-bar-journal/there-will-be-floods-armoring-the-people-of-florida-to-make-informed-decisions-on-flood-risk/