Polk County flood history
Florida · From FEMA's flood insurance and disaster data · Updated 2026-10-08
FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) data lists 1,671 flood insurance claims in Polk County, Florida since 1978. The NFIP paid $45.8 million on them (building, contents and Increased Cost of Compliance payments, in the dollars of the year paid).
The year with the most claims was 2004, with 418.
In the last ten years (2017–2026) there were 839 claims, and the average paid claim was $61,931.
38% of the claims with a recorded flood zone came from buildings outside FEMA's high-risk zones (rated zones B, C and X).
About 2.6% of homes in Polk County, Florida had an NFIP flood policy in FEMA's latest count (7,144 of 272,548 residential buildings). In the high-risk flood zones (Special Flood Hazard Areas), it was 37% (3,935 of 10,707).
Since 2000, FEMA has made 4 flood-related disaster declarations covering Polk County, Florida. The most recent was DR-4834-FL (Hurricane Milton), declared October 11, 2024.
NFIP claims by year
Show as a table
| Year | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 4 | $55,533 |
| 2025 | 5 | $55,038 |
| 2024 | 396 | $27.8 million |
| 2023 | 12 | $51,541 |
| 2022 | 146 | $2.2 million |
| 2021 | 5 | $6,140 |
| 2020 | 11 | $10,557 |
| 2019 | 7 | $28,852 |
| 2018 | 1 | $38,686 |
| 2017 | 252 | $7.2 million |
| 2016 | 17 | $52,665 |
| 2015 | 12 | $152,155 |
| 2014 | 10 | $18,361 |
| 2013 | 8 | $32,790 |
| 2012 | 11 | $40,808 |
| 2011 | 23 | $425,448 |
| 2010 | 9 | $4,811 |
| 2009 | 7 | $8,601 |
| 2008 | 10 | $160,323 |
| 2007 | 2 | $6,296 |
| 2006 | 4 | $25,345 |
| 2005 | 75 | $1.9 million |
| 2004 | 418 | $3.7 million |
| 2003 | 15 | $97,077 |
| 2002 | 30 | $438,135 |
| 2001 | 8 | $32,375 |
| 2000 | 4 | $500 |
| 1999 | 6 | $24,682 |
| 1998 | 51 | $672,305 |
| 1997 | 20 | $42,705 |
| 1996 | 2 | $33,948 |
| 1995 | 26 | $110,556 |
| 1994 | 10 | $86,148 |
| 1993 | 2 | $9,284 |
| 1992 | 1 | $7,162 |
| 1991 | 11 | $69,226 |
| 1990 | 1 | $0 |
| 1988 | 10 | $136,242 |
| 1986 | 1 | $0 |
| 1985 | 1 | $3,447 |
| 1984 | 2 | $2,045 |
| 1983 | 1 | $1,717 |
| 1982 | 3 | $6,265 |
| 1981 | 2 | $200 |
| 1980 | 1 | $0 |
| 1979 | 17 | $60,629 |
| 1978 | 1 | $19,302 |
Named flood events
| Event | Year | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Milton | 2024 | 378 | $27.4 million |
| Hurricane Irma | 2017 | 242 | $7.0 million |
| Hurricane Ian | 2022 | 134 | $2.1 million |
| Hurricane Frances | 2004 | 109 | $1.7 million |
| Hurricane Jeanne | 2004 | 227 | $1.6 million |
| Hurricane Wilma | 2005 | 16 | $580,292 |
| Hurricane Ivan | 2004 | 10 | $280,356 |
| Hurricane Helene | 2024 | 2 | $279,023 |
How many homes have flood insurance
FEMA counts 7,144 residential NFIP policies in Polk County, against 272,548 residential buildings (2.6%). Of the 10,707 residential buildings in high-risk flood zones (Special Flood Hazard Areas), 3,935 have an NFIP policy (37%). Private flood policies aren't in these counts.
Whether you're required to carry flood insurance depends on your flood zone and your mortgage. See do I need flood insurance?
Flood-related disaster declarations
| Declaration | Declared | Event | Help for individuals |
|---|---|---|---|
| DR-4834-FL | Oct 11, 2024 | Hurricane Milton | Yes |
| EM-3605-FL | Aug 3, 2024 | Tropical Storm Debby | No |
| DR-1785-FL | Aug 24, 2008 | Tropical Storm Fay | Yes |
| EM-3288-FL | Aug 21, 2008 | Tropical Storm Fay | No |
Check your own address
County numbers can't tell you about a single building. Look up your property on FEMA's flood map, then read what your flood zone means. More counties: all of Florida.
Where these numbers come from
All figures on this page are calculated from FEMA's public OpenFEMA datasets:
- NFIP Redacted Claims (v3) (FEMA (OpenFEMA)): NFIP claims since 1978, downloaded 2026-10-08. Dollar amounts are what the NFIP paid, not adjusted for inflation. Claims filed under private flood insurance aren't included.
- NFIP Residential Penetration Rates (v1) (FEMA (OpenFEMA)): NFIP residential policy contracts in force (as of August 3, 2026) divided by FEMA's count of residential buildings from the National Structure Inventory. FEMA notes that inventory is incomplete in some counties, which can inflate the rate. Private flood policies aren't counted.
- Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2) (FEMA (OpenFEMA)): disaster declarations, downloaded 2026-10-08. We count a declaration as flood-related when FEMA lists flooding (or a dam or levee break) as its incident type or a designated incident type, or the declaration's title mentions flooding.
FEMA's redacted claims data doesn't identify properties, and FEMA notes that some records lack a county or flood zone. See how we use the data.