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Environmental justice implications of NFIP pricing reforms: A case study of Miami-Dade County
Martin, Wesley
Martin, Wesley
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Research project
Date
2025
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Political Science
Environmental Studies
Environmental Studies
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DOI
https://doi.org/10.34944/0cgc-xy02
Abstract
The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) faces mounting financial difficulties in the era of climate change. To increase revenue and reduce their debts, the NFIP recently introduced a new pricing methodology called Risk Rating 2.0, claiming that this new approach more accurately assesses flood risk and distributes prices more equitably. The equitability of Risk Rating 2.0 is worth investigating, as environmental justice scholars have long criticized the NFIP for disproportionately benefitting wealthy homeowners over more vulnerable flood zone residents. This study utilizes Miami-Dade County, Florida as a case study to examine the environmental justice implications of Risk Rating 2.0. On average, wealthier zip codes are experiencing greater price increases than low- and middle-income neighborhoods. However, lower-income and higher-poverty zip codes still face an elevated cost burden compared to wealthier neighborhoods. These findings suggest that, although the NFIP’s new pricing methodology distributes prices more equitably than it has in the past, it does not address environmental justice concerns, as flood insurance premiums are rising across the board and still disproportionately burden low- and middle-income zip codes. In particular, Miami-Dade County’s lower-income zip codes near the Everglades face substantial rate increases due to their severe flood vulnerability, meaning flood insurance will likely become unaffordable for many residents.
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