As of tomorrow, the average flood insurance policy in the U.S. is going to cost about 20% more. While Congress deep-sixed substanial premium hikes for the National Flood Insurance Program last year, they did add new surcharges intended to try to steer the program out of debt. The Herald-Tribune reports Florida has almost a third of the flood insurance policies in the country, with about 109,000 in Sarasota and Manatee counties. Almost 43,000 Sarasota County properties will be required to have flood insurance under new flood zone maps, putting them in high flood risk zones. The surcharges for a primary residence is $25. It’s $250 for an investment property, second home, or business.
