Following Hurricane Helene’s catastrophic damage throughout Florida’s Gulf Coast, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) met with local officials and volunteers from the barrier islands to discuss the storm’s impact and current recovery efforts. Photos are courtesy of...
Hurricane Helene made landfall as a Category 4 storm, causing catastrophic damage along Florida’s Gulf Coast. It’s crucial for the federal government to expedite state-requested resources and authorize key policy flexibilities in order for Floridians to make a swift...
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio’s (R-FL) office will host two in-person events to assist constituents affected by Hurricane Helene and help navigate applications for FEMA assistance. Food, water, and additional resources will be available at the events. Event...
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio’s (R-FL) office will host in-person and virtual Mobile Office Hours next week to assist constituents with federal casework issues in their respective local communities. These office hours offer constituents who do not live close to one of...
Following the impacts of Hurricanes Helene and Debby, some local governments in Florida face looming budget shortfalls that could disrupt disaster recovery efforts. If these local governments receive reimbursements for past hurricanes from the Federal Emergency...
Following Hurricane Helene’s catastrophic path through northwest Florida, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) met with local officials and volunteers from Citrus County. Senator Rubio also met with small business owners impacted by the storm. Photos are courtesy of...
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio reintroduced two bills to improve flood risk awareness for property owners and prospective homebuyers.
Flood Risk Transparency for Homebuyers Act. First introduced in October 2021, Rubio’s legislation would require the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to provide a disclosure notice to potential homebuyers if the HUD listed properties are located in a flood zone and are considered a Repetitive Loss property according to the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). When purchasing a property, homebuyers are often unaware if the property is within a flood zone, thus putting the buyer at risk of unknown financial hardship after a natural disaster. To avoid this, HUD should provide flood zone disclosure to all potential homebuyers of HUD properties.
Flood Insurance Rate Map Interagency (FIRM IT) Act. First introduced in April 2019, Rubio’s legislation would require the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to consult with the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration when developing flood maps in order to obtain the most up-to-date information relevant to NFIP rate maps. Doing so will provide Floridians and others who utilize NFIP, with the most accurate data for flood hazard identification.
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