The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has updated select flood maps for Lee County to better reflect local flood risks. These possible changes to the Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) may affect your property and flood insurance requirements.
For Unincorporated Lee County, only six map panels may be affected. Click here to see a map overview of the potentially affected map panels.
New FEMA Maps Take Effect: Expected Summer 2026 (proposed maps may change based on the outcome of the appeal process)
Appeal Information
Appeal Period Ends: September 30, 2025
During FEMA's 90-day appeal period, residents and business owners can submit technical data appeals or comments about the proposed map. This is your opportunity to provide feedback or point out corrections.
If you believe the FEMA map contains errors about your property and you have technical data or scientific information (such as hydraulic or hydrologic modeling), you may file an appeal. Minor corrections—such as a misspelled street name—may be submitted as a "comment". If you choose not to appeal, no action is necessary.
Click here to review FEMA's Appeal Start Letter.
All appeals and comments must be submitted to the Lee County Floodplain Management Team at the Department of Community Development, through Forerunner or by calling 239-533-8948.
FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Maps (Current & Proposed)
Review the current FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map Panels here.
Review the proposed FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map Panel Changes below.
Affects of FEMA Proposed Map Change
Effects vary by parcel, but fall into four general categories:
Those who were not previously in need of flood insurance may eventually need it. Some properties will be newly classified as being in the Special Flood Hazard Area (also known as the flood zone). Mortgage lenders would subsequently require flood insurance for these structures.
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Those who already have National Flood Insurance Program policies should contact their insurance agent to determine if the proposed FEMA map changes will affect their premiums. Information about flood insurance premium rates must be obtained from an insurance agent.
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Within some Special Flood Hazard Areas, FEMA has designated regulatory floodways along some rivers, creeks or other water channels. A floodway is the surrounding ground area (near the water body) where the water will overflow in the event of a flood. FEMA regulates filling and construction in floodways to allow floodwaters to be discharged without raising surface water levels beyond a specific designated height. The regulatory floodway affected for this 6-panel map change is Mullock Creek and Mullock Creek Tributary. Most construction projects (i.e., sheds, fences, new homes, etc.) in a floodway require engineering certification. Many property owners along Mullock Creek floodway will benefit from these changes. Those who currently have stricter engineering requirements for proposed structures in the Mullock Creek Floodway may have those loosened as the majority of the floodway will be reduced to the banks of the creek. |
Properties that are currently in the X zone but will be mapped into the Special Flood Hazard Area (when the maps are finalized) will be subject to FEMA regulations for new structures as well as any type of repairs or renovations to a structure. This includes but is not limited to elevation requirements and adherence to the 50% rule. |
Additional Resources
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Property owners may disagree with the preliminary maps. Appellants will be responsible for identifying flaws in proposed modeling and errors in mapping and correcting them. See the Appeal Information section above.
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The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) works with community leaders across the country to identify flood hazards and promote ways to reduce the impact of those and other hazards. A FIRM is a map created by the NFIP for floodplain management and insurance purposes. They are also referred to as flood maps. A FIRM will generally show a community’s base flood elevations, flood zones and floodplain boundaries. Together, they show the risk of flooding. High-risk zones, known as Special Flood Hazard Areas or SFHAs, show where floodwaters will be in a flood that has a one percent chance of happening in any given year. Moderate- to low-risk zones are where the risk of that level of flooding is less than one percent per year. No matter where you live or work, some risk of flooding exists. As a property owner/renter, you can use this map to find out what flood zone you're in. However, maps are constantly being updated due to changes in geography, better scientific data, construction and mitigation activities and meteorological events.
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Flood zones are land areas identified by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Each flood zone describes that land area in terms of its risk of flooding for floodplain management and insurance purposes. Everyone lives in an area with some flood risk—it’s just a question of whether you live in a low-, moderate-, or high-risk area.
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Community officials use flood maps to help them understand and communicate the local flood risk, manage their floodplains, and require new and substantially-improved buildings to be built more safely and mitigate losses from future floods. These efforts make a safer community in which to live and work. Mortgage lenders use them to help determine a property’s flood risk and decide whether to require flood insurance as a requirement for a loan. Insurance professionals use the maps to determine a property’s flood risk and insurance cost. Developers and builders use them as part of their location siting and construction decisions. Residents and business owners use flood maps to learn about flood risk as they purchase property and investigate how best, financially and tangibly, to protect their property from flooding.
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The category of a type of flood that has a one percent annual chance of occurring in any given year. This is commonly referred to as the 1% Annual Chance Flood. The base flood is the national standard used by the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and all Federal agencies for the purposes of requiring the purchase of flood insurance and regulating new development.
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The predicted level of flooding measured from mean sea level. The elevation that water is anticipated to rise to in the event of a 1% annual chance flood. Since this is the elevation water is expected to rise to, the first livable floor should be at or exceed BFE in order to avoid damage from flooding. Base Flood Elevations are shown on Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs). This required elevation information is vital for new construction and some remodeling and renovation projects.
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The base (1-percent-annual-chance) flood standard was adopted for the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) after various alternatives were considered. The standard constitutes a reasonable compromise between the need for building restrictions to minimize potential loss of life and property and the economic benefits of floodplain development. The Base (1-percent-annual-chance) Flood Elevation (BFE) has been adopted by the NFIP as the basis for floodplain management and flood insurance regulations.
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