Representative Steve Southerland, II introduced H.R. 4150 to restore federal flood insurance and disaster assistance eligibility for Gulf County, Florida.
By removing Cape San Blas and Indian Peninsula from the Coastal Barrier Resources System, Southerland’s bill would enable county residents and small businesses to obtain FEMA reimbursement funds for beach renourishment and road construction in the wake of damaging natural disasters.
“ I’ve worked closely with Gulf County officials to ensure that coastal communities have access to the resources they need to rebuild local beaches in the event of a hurricane or other natural disaster ,” Southerland said. “ Despite its designation as a higher risk flood zone, Gulf County is prohibited from receiving federal flood insurance under current law. This inequity in the law forces Gulf County homeowners to purchase private sector insurance at a much higher rate, if they are able to obtain coverage at all. Our common sense legislation will remedy this situation by making Gulf County residents eligible for federal flood insurance, and FEMA reimbursement for road construction, dredging and beach nourishment .”
Gulf County Commissioner Warren Yeager said, “ We appreciate Rep. Southerland listening to our concerns and taking this common sense approach. By removing these units that were mistakenly placed in the CBRA system, our county’s residents and small business owners will once again have access to the federal resources they deserve. We’ve enjoyed working closely with Rep. Southerland to advance this legislation and we know that he shares our commitment to sensible growth and the preservation of habitat in Gulf County .”
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Dredging Today Staff, March 8, 2012