When U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis pulled hundreds of angry residents into a crowded council chambers in New Port Richey last December, he vowed to make changes at the federal level to alleviate massive flood insurance hikes.
But it looks like the Palm Harbor Republican’s efforts are being stopped in their tracks — by his own party’s Congressional leader.
At least that’s what the Florida delegation of Democrats in Congress are claiming in a letter to House Speaker John Boehner in Washington, D.C. That letter, signed by all eight Florida Democrats serving in the U.S. House of Representatives, urges Boehner to allow the bill to move forward “on behalf the millions of families and small business owners” they represent.
“The unreasonable flood insurance increases are particularly harmful to middle class families across Florida,” the letter said, adding that 180 Congressional members from both the Democratic and Republican side of the aisle have co-sponsored the Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act of 2013.
“Expeditious action is necessary because huge flood insurance bills are now coming due,” the letter continued. “We share the frustration of our neighbors that many of the changes adopted by FEMA are outside the original intent of the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012. Unless you take up a solution now, greater economic harm will be inflicted in Florida and around the country.”
Since it suffered major losses from storms like Katrina and Sandy, the National Flood Insurance Program — a federal insurance plan administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency — have raised premiums considerably since October, when Biggert-Waters took effect. One Pasco County homeowner told Bilirakis and other government leaders in December that his insurance had grown to $2,000 a month, close to the cost of his $2,500 monthly mortgage.
“If we don’t get a fix, they are going to foreclose on my property,” the resident said at the time. “I cannot physically make my payment.”
In a statement to The Laker/Lutz News, Bilirakis didn’t address the Democratic claim that the Speaker is tabling the bill, but did say that he wasn’t giving up.
“I have been working diligently to address the astronomical flood insurance rate increases homeowners across the country are experiencing, and I remain committed to finding a long-term solution,” Bilirakis said. “These rate increases will have grave financial impacts on current and future homeowners and could threaten our housing market’s recovery.”
Bilirakis said he remains “hopeful and confident” that an agreement can be reached to address the flood insurance system’s solvency and affordability.
The Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act passed Congress and was signed by President Obama in 2012. The bill phases out government subsidies for premiums in long-standing policies, but caps the annual increases at 25 percent.
Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey, who has been championing flood insurance reform from the county level, says she’s surprised if the bill in Congress did indeed stall, but she can also understand why.
“It doesn’t affect a lot of people in the country, and I think a lot of people don’t understand it,” she said. “I hear it all the time. ‘I don’t want to subsidize them. They should be paying their fair share.’ I think people on the water would agree on that. What’s going on here, however, is that they need this program to be implemented fairly and wisely, and it’s just not happening.”
Somehow, the idea of reforming flood insurance is becoming a partisan issue, and it shouldn’t be, Starkey said.
“Something’s gone awry, and it’s not a political thing,” she said. “They need to look at their science and their math, and help these poor people.”
State Sen. Wilton Simpson, R-Trilby, is not waiting for the federal government to take action. He’s already a co-sponsor for S.B. 542, which is set to go before an appropriations subcommittee on Feb. 6.
The bill, according to Simpson, creates flexible options for policyholders to choose from so that they can reach an affordable level of coverage. The hallmark of the bill allows policyholders the option of covering either the outstanding balance of their mortgage, or the replacement cost of their property.
Through his spokesperson, Simpson reiterated his position that the U.S. Congress “must work together, regardless of party affiliation, to fix this serious issue” for his constituents.
Published Feb. 5, 2014
