Pensacola's Flood Insurance Discount Just Grew: FEMA's Class 6 Rating Moves Premiums From 15 to 20 Percent Off
FEMA upgraded Pensacola from Class 7 to Class 6 on October 12, and NFIP policyholders inside the city can move from a 15 percent premium discount to 20 percent. The mayor's advice: call your agent and make sure the policy is repriced.
Pensacola homeowners with flood insurance may be owed a bigger discount than the one on their current bill. The Federal Emergency Management Agency's Community Rating System upgraded the city of Pensacola from Class 7 to Class 6 on October 12, the Pensacola News Journal reported Monday, which means residents whose flood insurance is backed by the National Flood Insurance Program can move from a 15 percent discount on their premiums to a 20 percent discount. The new Class 6 rating puts the city in line with Escambia County, which was upgraded to Class 6 in 2024.
'These savings are a tangible result of the flood mitigation activities the city has implemented to protect lives and reduce property damage,' Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves said. 'So that's one of those things. When we get more active in terms of flood and stormwater infrastructure, there is an absolute individual benefit when you see those flood insurance premiums go down.' The discount does not apply itself in every case, and the mayor's advice was direct: 'Homeowners with those policies should reach out to their agent now and make sure their agent is aware of that. And make sure that they also have their flood insurance repriced because you could see significant savings.'
One point the city was careful to make: the upgrade is not a Hurricane Isaias story. The reduction was not related to the storm, the Journal reported, but was the result of years of policy changes and of documenting the city's flood mitigation efforts for FEMA. Adrianne Walker, the city's strategic initiatives project officer, said the effort was led by the city's floodplain manager, and that the areas FEMA examines when rating a community include construction regulations and the city's education and outreach efforts. For a city that floods in ordinary years and is still drying out from an extraordinary one, five more points off the premium is the rare recovery headline that arrives as a lower bill.
