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Enjoyed the Punta Gorda bike loaner program today for the first time. My wife not only hadn't been on a bike in decades and decades...she is recovering from a hip replacement. This was a great confidence booster for her and a fun time for us both. We will be back! Thanks, Punta Gorda! We celebrated with a selfie on the Peace River.
WHAT ARE FLOOD HAZARD ZONES AND WHAT DO THEY MEAN?
The Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) is used in regular program communities by lenders to determine the
flood insurance requirements and by insurance agents to determine flood insurance premium rates for
specific properties. The map includes areas within the 100-year flood boundary, which are termed "Special
Flood Hazard Areas" (SFHAs). A "100-year flood" does not refer to a flood that occurs once every 100
years, but refers to a flood level with a 1 percent or greater chance of being equaled or exceeded in any
given year.
The SFHAs may be further subdivided into insurance risk rate zones. Areas between the 100-year and
500-year flood boundaries are termed "moderate flood hazard areas". The remaining areas are above the
500-year flood level and are termed "minimal flood hazard areas".
Historically, about one-third of claims paid by the NFIP are for flood damage in areas identified as having
only "moderate" and "minimal" risk of flood. Flooding in these areas often is the result of inadequate local
drainage systems, and such flooding sources with small drainage areas are generally not identified on
FIRMs.
The SFHAs are subdivided into flood hazard zones (insurance risk rate zones) according to the following
criteria:
Zone A is the flood insurance rate zone that corresponds to the 1-percent annual chance floodplains that
are determined in the Flood Insurance Study by approximate methods of analysis. Because detailed
hydraulic analyses are not performed for such areas, no Base Flood Elevations or depths are shown within
this zone. Mandatory flood insurance purchase requirements apply.
Zones AE and A1-A30 are the flood insurance rate zones that correspond to the 1-percent annual chance
floodplains that are determined in the Flood Insurance Study by detailed methods of analysis. In most
instances, Base Flood Elevations derived from the detailed hydraulic analyses are shown at selected
intervals within this zone. Mandatory flood insurance purchase requirements apply.
Zone AH is the flood insurance rate zone that corresponds to the areas of 1-percent annual chance
shallow flooding with a constant water-surface elevation (usually areas of ponding) where average depths
are between 1 and 3 feet. The Base Flood Elevations derived from the detailed hydraulic analyses are
shown at selected intervals within this zone. Mandatory flood insurance purchase requirements apply.
Zone AO is the flood insurance rate zone that corresponds to the areas of 1-percent shallow flooding
(usually sheet flow on sloping terrain) where average depths are between 1 and 3 feet. Average flood
depths derived from the detailed hydraulic analyses are shown within this zone. In addition, alluvial fan
flood hazards are shown as Zone AO on the Flood Insurance Rate Map. Mandatory flood insurance
purchase requirements apply.
Zone AR is the flood insurance rate zone used to depict areas protected from flood hazards by flood
control structures, such as a levee, that are being restored. FEMA will consider using the Zone AR
designation for a community if the flood protection system has been deemed restorable by a Federal
agency in consultation with a local project sponsor; a minimum level of flood protection is still provided to
the community by the system; and restoration of the flood protection system is scheduled to begin within a
designated time period and in accordance with a progress plan negotiated between the community and
FEMA. Mandatory purchase requirements for flood insurance will apply in Zone AR, but the rate will not
exceed the rate for an unnumbered Zone A if the structure is built in compliance with Zone AR floodplain
management regulations.
For floodplain management in Zone AR areas, the property owner is not required to elevate an existing
structure when making improvements to the structure. However, for new construction, the structure must be
elevated (or floodproofed for non-residential structures) so that the lowest floor, including basement, is a
minimum of 3 feet above the highest adjacent existing grade, if the depth of the Base Flood Elevation
(BFE) does not exceed 5 feet at the proposed development site. For infill sites, rehabilitation of existing
structures, or redevelopment of previously developed areas, there is a 3-foot elevation requirement
regardless of the depth of the BFE at the project site.
The Zone AR designation will be removed and the restored flood control system will be shown as providing
protection from the 1-percent annual chance flood on the National Flood Insurance Program map upon
completion of the restoration project and submittal of all the necessary data to FEMA.
Zone A99 is the flood insurance rate zone that corresponds to areas within the 1-percent annual chance
floodplain that will be protected by a Federal flood protection system where construction has reached
specified statutory milestones. No Base Flood Elevations or depths are shown within this zone. Mandatory
flood insurance purchase requirements apply.
Zone D designation is used for areas where there are possible but undetermined flood hazards. In areas
designated as Zone D, no analysis of flood hazards has been conducted. Mandatory flood insurance
purchase requirements do not apply, but coverage is available. The flood insurance rates for properties in
Zone D are commensurate with the uncertainty of the flood risk.
Zone V is the flood insurance rate zone that corresponds to areas within the 1-percent annual chance
coastal floodplains that have additional hazards associated with storm waves. Because approximate
hydraulic analyses are performed for such areas, no Base Flood Elevations are shown within this zone.
Mandatory flood insurance purchase requirements apply.
Zone VE is the flood insurance rate zone that corresponds to areas within the 1-percent annual chance
coastal floodplain that have additional hazards associated with storm waves. Base Flood Elevations
derived from the detailed hydraulic analyses are shown at selected intervals within this zone. Mandatory
flood insurance purchase requirements apply.
Zones B, C, and X are the flood insurance rate zones that correspond to areas outside the 1-percent
annual chance floodplain, areas of 1-percent annual chance sheet flow flooding where average depths are
less than 1 foot, areas of 1-percent annual chance stream flooding where the contributing drainage area is
less than 1 square mile, or areas protected from the 1-percent annual chance flood by levees. No Base
Flood Elevations or depths are shown within this zone. Insurance purchase is not required in these zones.
The flood zones change throughout Sarasota and Charlotte counties. Generally speaking, the closer you are to water the more likely you are to be in a flood zone. Here's a link to the FEMA flood maps. You can just punch in an address and come up with the flood zone. FEMA Map Service Center -
I always like to double check the zones with the insurance companies but I've had some that aren't experienced in quoting flood rates give me incorrect info. The above website is where they would be pulling their info from though.
High Flood Risk: AE, A, AH or AO Zone. These properties have a 1 percent chance of flooding in any
year — and a 26 percent chance of flooding over the life of a 30-year mortgage. VE or V Zone. These properties have a 1 percent chance of flooding in any year and
also face hazards associated with coastal storm waves.
Low to Moderate risk: Shaded X Zone. These properties are outside the high-risk zones. The risk is reduced
but not removed. X Zone. These properties are in an area of overall lower risk.
If you're looking for a 55+ community, you might want to check these Charlotte county communities out:
Charlotte County Kings Gate, Punta Gorda-The Kings Gate community offers adult resort living, at a reasonable price. Located in Southwest Florida, Kings Gate is a gated community, for seniors age 55 and over. Kings Gate is conveniently located one mile west of I-75 on Kings Highway, and within easy distance of medical facilities, and shopping. It features the largest heated pool and spa in Charlotte County, and a state-of-the-art community recreation center. Kings Gate is a pet friendly environment with accessible veterinary services. Residents are close to restaurants, swimming, fishing, boating and beaches, and within a short distance of airports and other services. Because Kings Gate is maintenance-free, the Kings Gate residents have plenty of time to pursue hobbies, exercise, work out, shop, eat and play golf.
The Kings Gate community recreation center offers golf leagues, billiards, softball, bridge, dancing, water aerobics, fitness classes, yoga, a fishing club, a bocce court, library, craft room, lawn bowling, lighted clay tennis courts, a pro shop and an 18-hole executive golf course. Get to know your neighbors at any one of the many scheduled Kings Gate events including community barbeques, potluck dinners, ice cream socials and holiday parties. Leave the car at home and motor around the grounds on your golf cart. Kings Gate is a casual, neighborly place to live! Relax and play in the warm Florida climate and enjoy the benefits of adult resort-style living. It’s all here!
There are many home choices in Kings Gate and all homes have public sewer and water, and underground utilities. From the moment you drive through the gate of this well-planned community, you will feel as if you have just arrived at a five-star Florida resort. Homes start at 1,300 square feet, with many layouts and choices. Choose a two bedroom, two bath home with a den and a three car garage or a 2,000 square foot home with three bedrooms, two baths and a two car garage.
Maple Leaf Estates, Port Charlotte-Maple Leaf is a 55+, resident owned, non-profit corporation, gated community. It seems just like a resort with four pools, four community buildings, an 18 hole golf course, tennis, bocce, lawn bowling, shuffle board, a pitch -n- putt, a wood working shop, fitness center and a sand bar diner. The park is 285 acres.
Burnt Store Colony, Punta Gorda-Burnt Store Colony is a 55+ resident-owned community with: screened and heated pool and spa; professional-type stainless steel community kitchen in a new clubhouse; newly re-surfaced tennis courts; shuffleboard; bocce; doggie park; library; fitness; a community woodworking shop with great equipment and tools, and the friendliest folks anywhere. BSC is building a wall and gate for privacy and security.
Windmill Village,Punta Gorda-Windmill Village is a waterfront community with saltwater marina, boat ramp, heated pool, bocce ball, fabulous clubhouse with library, billiards room and dining hall for pot luck dinners and dances. Management is on-site.
Rio Villa Lakes: A Dr Horton community. Active Adult Community featuring a 2400 Square Foot Clubhouse with Pool and a Tennis Court. Most homes were built in 2010-2011 but the lot sizes run around 7,000 sq ft.
Treetops at Ranger Point: This is a small, private community with swimming, tennis courts, clubhouse and only 20 minutes to the beach. The Treetops were built form the mid 90's-mid 2000's. The lot size are mostly smaller around 5,000-7,000 sq ft.
Here are some things that insurance agents take into consideration-the age of the home, style of roof(hip roof is best), how close the home is to a natural body of water or fire hydrant, how the roof is tied on, if the home has hurricane shutters or impact resistant glass, if the home has a Miami-Dade rated garage door, if the home is frame or block. These are just a few of the criteria they use to give an insurance quote. There are more but these are some of the biggies.
It's important to have a wind mitigation report done on the home. This usually costs around $150 and some home inspectors complete this report while they are inspecting your home. I'll give you an example of how this can effect your insurance. I have a house in North Port (southern Sarasota county). My home was built in 2003, has hurricane shutters, 2127 under air, hip roof, concrete block, close to a fire hydrant, no pool. Before the inspection my insurance was $1987 per year and after the inspection it was $727. Big difference.
Then you have flood insurance. 95% of North Port is not in a flood zone. There is a very specific area that is. The other areas of Sarasota and Charlotte county would be hit or miss. Generally west of US 41 and on the islands would be more likely to require flood insurance. The only way to determine the amount of the insurance is to have an elevation certificate. This would show the elevation of the home and what flood zone the home is in (if any). If the previous owner had home owners insurance and had a mortgage they probably have an elevation certificate. I always recommend getting flood insurance even if your home is not in a flood zone. If it's not, the price would be much cheaper for the insurance.
Really a hurricane can hit anywhere in Florida. I think that the Miami and Key West have the highest possibility of a hurricane strike. You need to be prepared where ever you live. I am a native Floridian and have lived in or close by Charlotte county my whole life and have never evacuated, not to say that I wouldn't but I've never felt the need to.
Anywhere you live in the world you will be faced with some kind of natural disaster-tornadoes, typhoons, tidal waves, earthquakes, blizzards, etc. At least with hurricanes you will have advance notice before they hit. If you choose to leave you have the opportunity to do so. This is not the case with most other weather situations.
Since 1992 Hurricane Andrew, the Florida Building codes have been up graded in 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006 to deal with damage from wind. Even new manufactured homes are safer than site built homes pre-94 The newer the home since 94, the less insurance you will pay. Insurance for pre 94 homes is difficult to get/keep and you will pay a lot of money for coverage.
Some hurricanes are large and can cover the whole state, while some like 2004 Charley was an oversized tornado. Some years we have to watch for a dozen and other years only one or two. The hurricane season runs from June to November with the peak amount in September.
Here's a chart that shows the probability of a hurricane strike in each area: Florida Hurricane Coastal Strike Probability
Hurricane strike probabilities are only statistical
estimates. Be prepared as storms approach.
The term Florida cracker was originally used by the early settlers and came from the sound of the cowboys cracking the whip on the cattle. This specific term was used to describe the early settlers that used the Florida Cracker Trail which runs from Bradenton (the town I was born in) to Fort Pierce.
The term is used as a proud or jocular self-description. Since the huge influx of new residents into Florida from the northern parts of the United States, and Latin America, in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, "Florida Cracker" is used informally by some Floridians to indicate that their family has lived there for many generations; and/or that they were born and raised in the state of Florida. It is considered a source of pride to be descended from "frontier people who did not just live but flourished in a time before air conditioning, mosquito repellent, and screens."
Now, your average "cracker" has somewhat of a derogatory connotation. Meaning an unsophisticated, uneducated white person.
I prefer to think of myself as the former and not the later
Much of the negotiating room depends on many things like how long it's been on the market, how desirable the location, condition of the home, etc. I usually pull comparable properties to see where the pricing should be and where to begin negations.
Most of your costs would be born from the lender. So if you have no lender your costs would be minimal.
You would have proration of taxes. To figure this out you take the taxes for the year and divide by 365 and then you have your per day tax amount. You take that amount and multiply it by the number of days in the year that you will own the house. If you have a mortgage you'd have to escrow the funds for this. If you don't put 20% down then you'd have PMI insurance.
Your lender would order your appraisal and there would be a fee for the loan origination and points. Then you'd have a few other smaller fees like-underwriting, doc prep, recording fees, credit report and courier fees. If you were financing you would need a survey which usually costs around $300-$350. We have surveyors that will do the flood certificate for just a little more than the survey, like an extra $75.
Another cost would be title insurance (which is negotiable between the buyer and seller) on $100K it would be $575 and then a another $250 for the search and exam fee. A small settlement fee by the title company or attorney that closes it this is usually around $250-$500. On the higher end if it's an attorney. If the seller pays, the buyer is still responsible for lender required endorsements if they are obtaining a mortgage.
You would have the first year of homeowners insurance and this varies greatly depending on location of the home, age, hip roof or not, hurricane shutters, etc. You would also if to pay flood insurance, if the home is in a flood zone.
If you are getting a mortgage -- the state of FL charges doc stamps at $ .35 per $100 of mortgage amount, intangible tax at $ .20 per $100 (ie $2 per $1000) of mortgage amount.
The other FL transfer tax is doc stamps on the deed at $ .70 per $100 of purchase price. Most bank owned properties and builders make the buyer pay this.
If you want a home inspection that would usually run you around $300-$350. I would also recommend a wind mitigation survey and a four point inspection (this can be done during your inspection). This can be done for about $150 and it will in most cases save you a bundle of money on your home owners insurance. They just come out and rate your home for wind resistance. In some areas I would recommend a septic, roof or well inspection.
Some communities may have HOA fees or an upfront Capitalization fees. If there is a CDD that would be prorated.
I've heard people estimate 4.5-6% of the sale price for the buyer getting a conventional loan. I like to calculate everything out.
The title company with give you what's called a HUD and it will have all of the expenses spelled out.
Enjoyed the Punta Gorda bike loaner program today for the first time. My wife not only hadn't been on a bike in decades and decades...she is recovering from a hip replacement. This was a great confidence booster for her and a fun time for us both. We will be back! Thanks, Punta Gorda! We celebrated with a selfie on the Peace River.
That's a great picture! I've never used that bike program. Sounds like a neat idea!
Excellent!
I'm glad I posted it!
The bikes are really pretty good, and since everything is flat, the ride is pretty easy if you hadn't ridden in a while. Great views!!
My wife and I have out own bikes, and for a while we set up a hike and bike, where we'd ride to the different parks every Thursday Morning, and meet up for a snack with friends that wanted to get out and about. Then we'd go on our way sometimes riding together around town, or going back home. On the last Thursday of the month, we would always walk the bridge - great exercise, and fun to do with other couples. Nothing too stressful, but since many of the parks are along the water, or have some great gardens - it was nice.
We should do it again, ..... next time I put air in the tires.... LOL
On that subject. People may not know that there are many great examples of "cracker houses" in Punta Gorda!! If you go to the Historic Park on Shreve, you can see a few examples along the way, and at the park. They are low, wood framed, pitched roofs with metal roofs. At the park they have a cracker house that was donated, and relocated there, and it was once used as a cigar factory. It is tiny! It has two entrances and one shared porch. Two families originally lived in it, and each side of the house had two rooms, no plumbing, not electric, but had a number of windows and screens that allowed ventilation and air to pass through - that was the only way to cool off.
At the park, is also the Original tiny Cracker style building that was the original Trabue, land development Sales office. Col. Trabue served in the Civil War, and lived in Kentucky. He sold his farm, took his pension and savings and bought about 90,000 acres on the South side of the Peace River. He began developing the town, and named many streets after friends, relatives, and early settlers. Marian Street is named after his brother.
He made a deal with the Railroad Owner from Arcadia to bring a railroad line down from Arcadia. In exchange he traded land along the River. They built the Punta Gorda Hotel / Resort, and brought many rich and famous families down to rest and enjoy the area during the cold northern Winter Months. The Edison and Ford Families used to ride down on the train to Punta Gorda, then ferry down to their estates in Fort Myers. There were no good roads down to Ft. Myers at the time, and the train ended in Punta Gorda.
The Colt family used to vacation here in Punta Gorda. And, the Punta Gorda Hotel had at one time the largest swimming pool in the country! Tragically one of the sons of the Colt family drowned in the pool while staying here. I'm sure someone can point out when the fire claimed the hotel. From the pictures I've seen it was a grand facility!!
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