Realtors Warn About Flood Insurance Lapses As GOP Blasts Jared Moskowitz, Darren Soto Over Shutdown

By Jacob Ogles

A government shutdown means the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) can’t sell flood insurance. National Republicans say Democrats representing Florida in the U.S. House may be putting homes in danger.

“Jared Moskowitz and Darren Soto’s vote that shut down the government isn’t just a cowardly partisan move, it’s a flat-out dangerous situation,” said Maureen O’Toole, a spokesperson for the National Republican Congressional Committee. “Floridians deserve a representative who serves them, not threatens them.”

The attack came shortly after the National Association of Realtors (NAR) sounded alarms on how an ongoing federal shutdown could impact the flood insurance market. The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) has limited transactions amid the federal shutdown, which has now lasted more than two weeks.

That means some 1,400 real estate transactions per day are moving forward nationwide without flood insurance protection. Yet flooding, the Realtors group points out, is the most common natural disaster in the country, and a particular risk in Florida.

“Under normal conditions, lenders will require flood insurance before finalizing the loan if the property is in a Special Flood Hazard Area, and the standard homeowner’s insurance policy does not cover flooding,” wrote NAR Senior Economist and Director of Real Estate Research Nadia Evangelou in an analysis released this week.

“Without the NFIP, the buyer would have to obtain flood insurance through the private market, which does not offer flood insurance in many areas across the United States.”

Soto, a Kissimmee Democrat, noted that there are numerous costs that could fall disproportionately on Florida as the shutdown lingers, and said his focus is on how many of his constituents would see health insurance premiums rise.

“We want to continue to negotiate to get this government shutdown resolved,” he said. “We’re in a situation where we have the most Obamacare users of any state in the nation. I represent the second most of any district. And so we want to get this resolved, and we also want to make sure — whether it’s flood insurance or whether it’s telehealth or various other things that are affected by this right now — they are resolved as soon as possible.”

Moskowitz, a Parkland Democrat, said House Republicans were pointing fingers in the wrong direction to attack Democrats in the minority caucus instead of the administration that’s heading up agencies.

“Perhaps the NRCC should ask (Homeland Secretary) Kristi Noem why she hasn’t sent Florida taxpayers the $1 billion she owes us in FEMA reimbursement or any of the $600 million the state is owed for DHS’ involvement in Alligator Alcatraz,” he said. “I’m leading two bills to extend the National Flood Insurance Program and was requested by Republicans to do so — but I’m sure the NRCC knew that, and that’s what I love about them.”

The shutdown doesn’t mean homeowners in Florida can’t obtain flood insurance. According to Florida’s Office of Insurance Regulation, private carriers write policies that include flood coverage in the state. But the vast majority of flood insurance coverage is federally regulated and provided through the NFIP. And even private activity still relies on federal guidelines.

“To qualify for flood insurance, a community must join the NFIP and agree to enforce sound floodplain management standards. When this happens, the residents in that community are allowed to participate in and purchase flood insurance coverage through the NFIP,” the state website explains.

“The NFIP Write Your Own (WYO) Program allows participating property and casualty insurance companies to write and service the Standard Flood Insurance Policy in their own names.”

In Washington, Democrats and Republicans continue to assign blame to the other party to explain the duration of the ongoing federal shutdown. The Republican-controlled House passed a budget resolution in September. All Florida Democrats, including Moskowitz and Soto, voted against it.

But the matter is still tied up in the Senate, where Democrats have withheld support. That’s largely because the House-passed spending bill doesn’t extend premium health care credits tied to the Affordable Care Act.

The White House last month issued a statement to Fox News warning a lapse in NFIP could have national consequences.

“The NFIP is a vital program utilized by millions of Americans, and it’s not a hard call to extend it — which is exactly why the administration supports the House-passed CR that would do so,” read the statement. “Unfortunately, Democrats are happy to shut down the government and hurt the many thousands of Americans who rely on this program in the process.’”

The NRCC notes that while Capitol Hill appears frozen in negotiations, hurricane season continues regardless. Meanwhile, millions of homeowners remain in limbo with FEMA unable to sell or renew flood insurance.

AccuWeather has reduced its projected number of storms in 2025 but still predicts seven to 10 hurricanes to form in the Atlantic this year, with three to six directly impacting the U.S. Three hurricanes — Helene, Milton and Debby — made landfall in Florida in 2024.

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This article originally appeared here and was republished with permission.