FEMA is making an example of this Florida boomtown. Locals call it ‘revenge politics.’

Grist

Lean Left

High Factuality

FEMA is making an example of this Florida boomtown. Locals call it ‘revenge politics.’

When U.S. homeowners buy subsidized flood insurance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, they make a commitment to build back better after flood disasters, even if it costs them. FEMA’s notorious 50 percent rule stipulates that if a home in a flood zone suffers damages worth more than half its value, it must be torn down and rebuilt so it’s elevated above flood level. This can cost homeowners hundreds of thousands of dollars, but it pre…