This page is about the City of Fort Myers, not all of Lee County. The city runs its own flood program, so it has its own discount and its own claim record. A "Fort Myers" mailing address is not always inside the city. For the countywide picture, see the Lee County flood insurance guide.
City of Fort Myers flood insurance in 5 numbers
| The short version | City of Fort Myers | Source |
|---|---|---|
| NFIP policies in force | about 5,390 | FEMA policy records, July 2026 |
| Policies rated in an A or V zone | about 69% | FEMA policy records, July 2026 |
| Average NFIP premium | about $1,100 per policy | FEMA policy records, July 2026 |
| Claims paid, last 10 years | about $68.7 million on about 790 claims | FEMA claim records, July 2026 |
| CRS discount | 20%, Class 6, since October 1, 2025 | FEMA Community Status Book |
FEMA does not mark the city on each policy. These Fort Myers numbers are built from Census neighborhoods (block groups) split by where the homes are, and some neighborhoods cross the city line. That is why they are rounded and say "about."
What does flood insurance cost in the City of Fort Myers?
The average NFIP policy in the City of Fort Myers costs about $1,100 a year. Read that number with care. It is an average per policy, and condo units count one each. The city has about 5,390 policies on about 3,700 policy records, because one condo building policy can cover many units. That pulls the average down. It is not what a typical single-family home pays. Three things move your own price.
1. Same flood zone, very different prices. Your flood zone decides if a lender requires flood insurance. The price depends on the home itself: how high the first floor sits, what it would cost to rebuild, and how often that spot floods. Two homes on the same Fort Myers block can get very different prices. An elevation certificate may lower an NFIP price. A lender must also accept a private policy that meets the federal rules.
2. The City of Fort Myers' own 20% discount. The City of Fort Myers is its own NFIP community. It earns its own Community Rating System (CRS) score. FEMA's Community Status Book rates the city Class 6, worth a 20% discount on NFIP premiums for eligible policies. The class took effect on October 1, 2025. Unincorporated Lee County and the other Lee cities have their own classes, so two addresses a few miles apart can get different discounts. Under Risk Rating 2.0 the city's discount applies city-wide.
Confirm your 20% credit is applied. If your home is inside City of Fort Myers limits, check your declarations page for the CRS credit. Check my address to confirm which community your home is in.
3. The claim record around you. The City of Fort Myers has about 1,050 NFIP claims on record all time, and about 790 of them came in the last 10 years. That record is why lenders ask for proof of flood coverage, and why how often your own spot floods matters to the price.
Fort Myers flood zones: which 2 maps matter?
Two different maps answer two different questions in the City of Fort Myers.
| FEMA flood zone | Lee County evacuation zone |
|---|---|
| Decides if your lender can require flood insurance | Tells you when to leave before a storm |
| Look up your FEMA zone | Find My Evacuation Zone (Lee County tool) |
Zones that start with A or V are high-risk areas. A home there with a federally backed mortgage must carry flood insurance. Zone X has no federal requirement, but floods do not stop at map lines.
The City of Fort Myers' current flood maps took effect on November 17, 2022, per FEMA's Community Status Book. You can see your zone on the official maps at the FEMA Flood Map Service Center. Lee County's own flood zone map covers unincorporated Lee County only, so for a city address, use the FEMA maps or ask the city's flood staff at (239) 321-7931. Your evacuation zone is a different map. Find it on the county's Find My Evacuation Zone tool.
Lee County and Fort Myers emergency numbers
| Who | Phone | What they handle |
|---|---|---|
| Lee County Emergency Management | (239) 533-0622 | Evacuation orders, storm plans, shelters |
| City of Fort Myers flood staff (Building, Permitting and Inspections) | (239) 321-7931 | Flood zone, flood rules and permit questions inside city limits |
In an emergency, call 9-1-1. More help: Lee County Emergency Management and the city's flood and CRS page.
Shelters. Lee County keeps a list of 21 public shelters. They open only when the county activates them for a storm, and not every shelter opens every time. Three of them are inside City of Fort Myers limits: Ray V. Pottorf Elementary, 4600 Challenger Blvd.; Dunbar High, 3800 Edison Ave.; and Treeline Elementary, 10900 Treeline Ave.
The rest are Lee County shelters outside the city. Five have a Fort Myers mailing address but sit outside city limits: South Fort Myers High, 14020 Plantation Rd.; Alico Arena, 10501 FGCU Blvd. S.; Oak Hammock Middle, 5321 Tice St.; Manatee Elementary, 5301 Tice St.; and Gateway High, 13820 Griffin Dr. The others are in Lehigh Acres, Estero, North Fort Myers and Cape Coral. See the full Lee County shelter list. Before you go, call Lee County Emergency Management at (239) 533-0622 to see which shelters are open.
If your Fort Myers home floods: 5 steps
- Stay safe. Do not walk or drive through flood water.
- Take photos and video of every room before you clean up.
- Call your insurance company and file the claim fast.
- Make a list of damaged items. Keep receipts for cleanup and repairs.
- Ask the City of Fort Myers about permits before you repair or rebuild. The city's flood staff are at (239) 321-7931.
The 50% rule. If repairs cost 50% or more of the building's market value, federal rules call the home "substantially damaged." It must then be brought up to current flood rules, which can mean raising it. The City of Fort Myers runs its own flood rules, so ask the city how it counts the cost before you start work. Increased Cost of Compliance (ICC) coverage on an NFIP policy can help pay for that work.
5 Lee County storms behind these numbers
Claims by storm are kept for the whole county, not the city alone. These are Lee County figures. The City of Fort Myers' own 10-year total is about $68.7 million, shown above.
| Storm | Year | NFIP claims in Lee County | Paid in Lee County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Ian | 2022 | 28,585 | $3,387,327,468 |
| Hurricane Milton | 2024 | 4,333 | $216,361,563 |
| Hurricane Helene | 2024 | 2,709 | $194,889,415 |
| Hurricane Irma | 2017 | 2,006 | $44,682,330 |
| Hurricane Debby | 2024 | 99 | $2,573,681 |
Hurricane Ian alone paid $3,387,327,468 on 28,585 NFIP claims across Lee County in 2022, more than the other four storms in this table put together. By comparison, Hurricane Irma in 2017 paid $44,682,330 on 2,006 claims in Lee County. One storm can change a whole county's flood record.
Buying or closing in Fort Myers? Read this first
About 7 in 10 City of Fort Myers policies sit in a high-risk zone. If your home is in one and you have a federally backed mortgage, your lender will ask for proof of flood insurance before closing. Ask the seller for an elevation certificate and ask whether the seller's flood policy can be assigned to you at closing.
NFIP flood policies have a 30-day waiting period. The big exception: if you buy the policy as part of getting, refinancing, increasing, extending or renewing a loan on the home, coverage can start at closing with no wait, as long as the application and payment are in by closing. If a new flood map just put your home in a high-risk zone, you can buy within 13 months of the map date and wait only one day. A lender asking for flood coverage partway through an existing loan does not skip the wait. Private flood policies set their own waiting periods, often shorter. Fort Myers' November 17, 2022 maps are past that 13-month window.
All major lenders accept private flood insurance under federal guidelines. The policy has to meet the federal definition of private flood insurance, so look for that statement on the policy or ask your lender. Private flood can cost less for some Fort Myers homes and more for others. What a lender can require.
Buying in Fort Myers? Start with the buyer guide
City of Fort Myers flood insurance: 6 questions
How much is flood insurance in the City of Fort Myers? The NFIP average is about $1,100 per policy, per FEMA records from July 2026. Condo units count one each, so a single-family home can pay much more or less. Your price depends on your home.
Does the City of Fort Myers get a flood insurance discount? Yes. FEMA rates the City of Fort Myers Class 6 in the Community Rating System, worth 20% off NFIP premiums for eligible policies, since October 1, 2025.
Is the Fort Myers discount the same as the rest of Lee County? No. The City of Fort Myers is its own NFIP community with its own class. Unincorporated Lee County and the other Lee cities have their own.
How long is the wait for a new flood policy in Fort Myers? 30 days for a standard NFIP purchase. No wait when the policy is bought as part of getting, refinancing, increasing, extending or renewing a loan on the home. One day when a new flood map just placed the home in a high-risk zone (within 13 months of the map date).
What evacuation zone am I in? Look it up on Lee County's Find My Evacuation Zone tool, or call Lee County Emergency Management at (239) 533-0622. Your evacuation zone is not your FEMA flood zone.
Do I need flood insurance in zone X in Fort Myers? A lender does not have to require it in zone X. Many owners buy it anyway, because rain floods homes outside high-risk zones too.
Explore Lee County and Florida flood guides
- Lee County flood insurance: the county numbers, storms and contacts
- Cape Coral flood zones and flood insurance: the city across the river
- Fort Myers Beach: the town on the Gulf
- Florida flood insurance: the state picture
- The 30-day wait and its exceptions
- Flood insurance questions, answered
Sources: OpenFEMA NFIP policies and claims (FEMA, data as of July 4, 2026, split to the City of Fort Myers by Census block group and 2020 housing units; rounded because the split is an estimate); FEMA NFIP Community Status Book, City of Fort Myers row (read November 4, 2026); City of Fort Myers Building, Permitting and Inspections flood contact (read November 4, 2026); Lee County Emergency Management, public shelter and evacuation zone pages (read November 4, 2026); U.S. Census 2020 and 2024 Gazetteer, Census Geocoder (shelters inside city limits, read November 4, 2026).
Lender says you need flood insurance? Read what the law requires and what you still choose.
Own a business, condo or apartment building in Fort Myers? Read the Florida commercial flood insurance guide.
Page data last verified 2026-11-05. Every figure links to the federal or county record it came from.