NAPLES, Fla. – Yesterday, the Naples Daily News, published the following article entitled, "Naples' Byron Donalds Champions Tax Break Bill To Ease Burden Of Flood Insurance Prices." The article details the provisions and implications of H.R. 4494 – "The Flood Insurance Relief Act" – the 18th piece of legislation proposed by Congressman Byron Donalds (R-FL) during the 119th Congress.


Read the full article here or below:

"Naples' Byron Donalds Champions Tax Break Bill To Ease Burden Of Flood Insurance Prices"

Amy Bennett Williams 

Naples Daily News — July 24, 2025

One thing Mark Friedlander knows for sure about Florida: “If it rains at your home, it could flood at your home.”

Yet what shocks the insurance expert is how few Floridians have flood coverage – just 20% of the state’s homeowners. “That leaves four out of five that don't have any funding” should disaster strike, says Friedlander, spokesman for the nonprofit Insurance Information Institute "It's the largest insurance gap in the country: lack of flood insurance."

Naples Congressman Byron Donalds aims to change that. The Flood Insurance Relief Act, a bill he's championing, would let middle-income homeowners deduct flood insurance premiums from their federal taxes. That could amount to more that $800 a year, since FEMA reports the average Florida policyholder pays $865.

The Flood Insurance Relief Act would allow middle-income homeowners to deduct flood insurance premiums from their federal taxes.

The legislation, filed in the House as H.R. 4494, marks Donalds’ 18th bill in the 119th Congress. Its companion bill, S. 2313, was introduced by Sen. Rick Scott and co-led by Sen. Ashley Moody. The measure mirrors a similar effort launched by the same GOP trio during the previous session of Congress.

The bill’s sponsors frame the measure as a targeted tax break for the middle class, aimed at relieving homeowners in flood-prone areas while excluding higher-income filers. The proposal is part of broader Republican efforts to reform the National Flood Insurance Program, encourage private-sector alternatives, and expand affordability for those facing mandatory insurance costs in high-risk zones.

In Florida, that's a huge swath of homeowners, though Friedlander says flood insurance should be universal. "90% of U.S. natural disasters involve flooding. It could flood anywhere it rains. That's the best way we can say it," Friedlander said. "And in Florida, it floods in all 67 counties across the state. Nobody in Florida is immune to flooding."

The bill would amend federal tax law to allow a deduction for flood insurance premiums, including federal policy fees and surcharges. The deduction would apply to coverage purchased through either the National Flood Insurance Program or private insurers. However, it would be limited to individuals earning less than $200,000 ($400,000 for joint filers) and would only apply to insurance covering properties owned by the taxpayer.

Flood insurance is mandatory for millions of homeowners with federally backed mortgages in flood-prone areas, but current law offers no tax relief for those costs. As premiums have surged in recent years, particularly in coastal states like Florida, Donalds, Scott and Moody said in the release that relief is long overdue.

Fixing the Sunshine State's insurance mess was the first plank of the platform Donalds described...in March.

Scott: “Families shouldn’t have to choose between protecting their homes and putting food on the table … (The act is) a practical way to directly ease the financial burden of flood insurance for families by allowing a tax deduction on their premiums.”

Moody echoed those concerns, citing widespread anxiety about affordability. “As I travel around the Sunshine State, one thing folks continue to tell me is that they are worried about the rising cost of flood insurance.”

Those who own their homes outright often pass on flood insurance and later regret it, Friedlander said. "There are many people who dropped their flood insurance before Hurricane Ian that we spoke to that regretted that. 'Oh, I didn't want to continue paying the premium.' And now look what happened. You can't predict it."

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