Page 22 - Lifestyles in Palm Beach Gardens - December '24

Page 22, Lifestyles in Palm Beach Gardens

Commissioner’s Tax Talk

Update Dear Friends: appreciate your patience. Representatives can be reached at
As 2024 comes to a close,
(561) 355-2264 and are available Monday through Friday,
I want to take this time to
8:15 a.m. to 5 p.m.
thank you for being part Don’t want to call us? You can always email us at
New Flood Maps For Palm of the “Tax Talk” family clientadvocate@pbctax.com for assistance and you can
expect a response from one of Client Care Representatives
and know that I thoroughly
Beach County enjoy chatting with you within two business days.
each month. I hope you
By Vice Mayor enjoy hearing more about New Address Change
Maria G. Marino my office, Palm Beach
The Federal Emergency County and the occasional Requirements
Management Agency news about my cats, Biden
(FEMA) has recently and Bader. They bring me so much joy, even when they Did you know
released updated flood are just being cats and lounging around as they are doing that there were recent
zone maps that bring in this picture. changes made to
significant changes to the proof of address
Palm Beach County. documents required
These new maps, set to for driver’s licenses
take effect on December and ID cards? These
20, 2024, highlight an documents verify that driver’s license and ID card applicants
increased flood risk for thousands of residents, are residents of Florida by requiring two pieces of qualifying
particularly in the eastern regions of the county. The documents in their name. This new requirement is a simple
revised maps classify many additional areas as high- process for most individuals; however, others may not have
risk flood zones, known officially as special flood certain documents that contain their name and address. For
hazard areas (SFHAs). example, teens getting their learner’s permit or individuals
The updated maps are particularly impactful for living with family members.
low-lying regions, properties near canals and lakes, Under this new address change requirement, those
and coastal zones prone to tidal surges. As a result, individuals have a few options. They can complete a
more than 16,000 parcels in Palm Beach County are certification of address document, and have it signed by our
anticipated to have a base flood elevation (BFE) staff during their reservation or they can have it signed by a
increase of one foot or more. The increase in BFE I want to take this time to wish you, your family, friends notary prior to their reservation. In addition to the certification
may result in non-conforming structures that have and even your pets – we can’t forget them, a very happy of address form, this new change requires the applicant bring
the lowest floor below the BFE or minimum elevation holiday season. Whether you are enjoying the holidays here two additional documents containing the name of the person
required for a substantial improvement (SI). For in South Florida or traveling to be with family, take time with which they are residing. For a complete list of the new
residents in unincorporated Palm Beach County, staff to recharge and relax and enjoy all the traditions that the required driver’s license and ID card documents, visit pbctax.
can provide SI determinations and technical assistance holidays so befittingly offer. I look forward to communicating gov/driver-license/.
prior to major renovations. with you in 2025!
For property owners required to have flood Happy holidays and happy new year! Found Money?
insurance under these new guidelines, it’s highly Anne M. Gannon,
recommended to secure a policy as soon as possible. Constitutional Tax Collector, Serving Palm Beach County Did you know there
Those with existing National Flood Insurance Program could be thousands of
(NFIP) policies are encouraged to maintain them. Hello, May I Help You? dollars waiting for you?
Regardless of what flood zone you may be in, the Some clients overpay
county continues to recommend that all property You have checked our website, read through your Tax on their transactions,
owners have flood insurance since flooding can occur Planner and Services Guide, but still have a question and if this happens, we
anywhere. Windstorm insurance does not cover flood concerning our services. Our Client Care Representatives in issue a refund check
damage. Thanks to Palm Beach County’s participation our Client Care and Research Center (call center) are ready for the amount overpaid. If the refund is returned to us as
in the Community Rating System (CRS) discount to take your call or answer your email and help you with undeliverable, we continue to attempt to issue the refund.
program, unincorporated area residents receive a 25 your question. This year, we have added an additional five Once we have explored all refund options, we post a list
percent discount on their flood insurance premiums, representatives to help keep wait times to a minimum during of unclaimed funds on our website hoping that clients can
which can help alleviate some of the financial burden our busy season. With an average of 1,700 calls coming into reclaim the money due to them. We hold onto these funds for
associated with increased flood risk. the call center each day, we are proud that we have reduced at least one year. If the funds remain unclaimed, we forward
The maps are available on the Palm Beach County wait times to an average of five minutes. While the team is those funds to the state of the last known address.
Planning, Zoning & Building webpage, where residents working hard to answer all calls quickly this time of year,
can use the countywide property search tool to you may experience longer than normal wait times, so we Tax Talk on page 23
determine their flood zones. The webpage also provides
other important information, including links to FEMA,
the pending FEMA flood maps, municipalities affected,
tips on how the county can help, and more. Please visit: CAMPBELL AND KARLIK, P.A.
https://discover.pbcgov.org/pzb/Pages/Update-on-
Flood-Zones.aspx. ATTORNEYS AT LAW
If property owners believe their property has been
incorrectly identified as an SFHA, they can submit
an application to FEMA for a formal determination
of the property’s location and/or elevation relative Wills • Trusts • Estate Planning • Probate
to the SFHA. There are two types of determination Taxation • Real Estate • Corporations
documents you can seek in your Letter of Map Change
(LOMC) request.
• Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA): A letter from
FEMA stating that an existing structure or parcel of
land — that is on naturally high ground and has not
been elevated by fill — would not be inundated by the
base flood.
• Letter of Map Revision Based on Fill (LOMR-F):
A letter from FEMA stating that an existing structure
or parcel of land has been elevated by earthen fill and
would not be inundated by the base flood.
Residents in unincorporated areas can request flood
zone determinations from Palm Beach County, which
provides written confirmation of zone designations.
Additionally, the county offers consultations for
retrofitting existing buildings to improve flood
resilience. Municipal residents should defer to their
municipal floodplain or town/city manager.
For questions, property owners can call the Palm Diane L. KarLiK
Beach County Flood Zone Hotline at (561) 233-5374
for personalized assistance with the new maps, flood
proofing options, and more.
Tel: (561) 625-5220
3450 Northlake Boulevard Suite 210 Fax: (561) 625-5201• Mobile: (561) 797-5004
Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33403 EMail: dlkarlik@aol.com