Flood Insurance in Nocatee

[Robyn55]

Originally Posted by apollo77

This is a very good point Robyn. Do any of the better builders offer to build on elevation? I'm assuming if they are part of these planned communities, they wouldn't do so.

What is the likelihood of serious flooding? I've looked at the St. John's County flood maps, as well as those by FEMA. It seems that a good part of the whole area, except for pockets, are considered high risk flood zones. In my current area, a serious rainstorm easily turns some of our neighbor's yards into a mini swamp. I'd like to avoid any communities that are susceptible to that sort of thing.

I don't know what any particular builders offer (we had our house custom built).

FEMA flood zones are based on probabilities of flooding - both in terms of how often they might flood - and how deep any flooding is projected to be:

https://msc.fema.gov/webapp/wcs/stor...20Designations

Of course - storms and storm patterns aren't very predictable in the short run. Especially when it comes to rainfall amounts. In the 18 years since we built - we've had everything from extreme drought (and fires) to tropical storms that have dumped huge amounts of rain.

Also - whereas there are parts of the metro area that are known to be prone to flooding if it rains a lot - Nocatee and its drainage system really haven't been tested (and - since Nocatee is so large - there are probably better parts and worse parts). I guess one thing a prospective buyer can do is to check out the nature of the storm water drainage system in the area where he/she is looking. See if it looks robust.

Anyway - these are just some of the reasons it's a good idea to have flood insurance. And - as for the cost down the road - it's really impossible to say. Robyn

[mikenmag]

Thank you all. That's very valuable info. It seems I won't be able to predict premiums until we have an actual address we are considering.

[Newporttom]

Not Nocatee but I'm in Julington Creek Plantation and have to pay about $400 for flood insurance.

[Robyn55]

We're in Ponte Vedra Beach and are paying $479/year for maximum coverage (structure and contents). Robyn

[JBtwinz]

To me (my opinion) whether you need it or not is one of those necessary evils. Before you build on any lot anywhere in Florida you should know ahead of time what type of zone you are in. If your not in a flood zone it is a gamble, the stakes are high you won't need it but acts of god cannot be timed or predicted. I have a link below from my home state.......in 2010 several towns in RI had massive flooding that was not seen in in over 100 years.....it came out of no where, and it destroyed so much property. People who had not seen and inch of water in the 60 to 70 years they lived in their homes lost everything.

We have not had a direct hit from a hurricane here in Florida since the early 60's, but a direct hit on a high tide would send water into places that have never been flooded before. For me I am willing to pay the $400 a year for insurance that I am not required to have, rather than gamble on risk being lucky enough living in a location that has not had a flood in 100 years.

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/36085345/n.../#.UwC_2Wt5mSM

[Robyn55]

We don't need a hurricane (or anything near it) to get flooding. Tropical Storm Debby a couple of years ago gave us a more than thorough soaking (the JAX area set a 2 day rain record - 12+ inches):

Tropical storm Debby is gone, but damage is done (PHOTOS) - Capital Weather Gang - The Washington Post

Robyn

[apollo77]

Robyn (or anyone)

During Tropical Storm Debby, do you recall how the Nocatee / Palencia area fared?

[Robyn55]

I have enough sense to come out of the rain - especially when there's a ton of it . And - when it rains a lot and things flood - the local news mostly deals with flooded roads - not flooded houses. Robyn

[LilMikey]

We live in Coastal Oaks and were here during Debbie. There were no issues in Nocatee that I am aware of. No roads flooded. The retention ponds were high but I don't recall any of those topping over either. The only thing that flooded around us was our pool.

We have flood insurance. I don't believe it was mandatory, but, c'mon... get it. I don't have our bill on hand but I think we're in the same range as the rest, $400-500.

It seems like most of the major flooding was around the areas that relied on river/creek drainage. Tons of people in the St John's tributaries were flooded.

[Robyn55]

Originally Posted by LilMikey

We live in Coastal Oaks and were here during Debbie. There were no issues in Nocatee that I am aware of. No roads flooded. The retention ponds were high but I don't recall any of those topping over either. The only thing that flooded around us was our pool.

We have flood insurance. I don't believe it was mandatory, but, c'mon... get it. I don't have our bill on hand but I think we're in the same range as the rest, $400-500.

It seems like most of the major flooding was around the areas that relied on river/creek drainage. Tons of people in the St John's tributaries were flooded.

Even if houses in Nocatee flooded - it's unlikely you'd hear about it. We saw some small areas in our HOA where houses flooded - but no one invited news crews over for filming. It's not the kind of thing homeowners want to publicize .

FWIW - the highest water we've seen since we've been here was when Hurricane Floyd passed offshore in 1999. The water got to the top of the first step of our back steps to the porch (there are 4 steps). If we had a pool - it would have flooded. If our house had been built "slab on grade" - it probably would have had some flooding too. Note that we evacuated for Hurricane Floyd (mandatory evacuation) - so I judged the "high water line" based on the debris line around the house. Robyn