Cape Coral Says FEMA Giving More Time on Questioned Rebuilding Info After Ian

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has granted the city of Cape Coral a 30-day extension to provide more information on rebuilding in the area after Hurricane Ian.

The announcement came Monday, three weeks after FEMA notified local officials in southwest Florida that communities would lose their 25% discount on National Flood Insurance Program premiums because local governments had inappropriately loosened the rules on buildings that were heavily damaged in the storm. That relaxation had allowed many property owners to stay below the FEMA requirement to rebuild to higher standards or to elevate homes that suffered more than a 50% loss from storm surge or flooding.

Local officials last month decried FEMA’s unexpected notification, with Cape Coral Mayor John Gunter calling FEMA “the villain.” But after meeting with FEMA representatives, Gunter said at a news conference Monday that the federal agency had pushed back its deadline, from May 27 to June 10, on providing clarifying information. The city near Fort Myers plans to go ahead and compile the data by May 9, Gunter said in a Facebook posting. The information will include building permits, enforcement actions, demolition permits and damage letters.

FEMA also said earlier this month that it was pausing its March 27 decision to revoke the community rating discounts for surrounding Lee County, a move that could affect more than 125,000 properties, E&E News reported. The community rating system provides NFIP discounts for properties in cities and counties that take steps to reduce flood damage to homes and buildings, such as discouraging building in low areas.

Critics have charged that FEMA in recent years had not done enough to enforce the CRS. So last month’s announcement caught many in southwest Florida off guard.

Photo: Some of the damage from Ian near Fort Myers and Cape Coral.