Old Belleair Town Hall · Photo: Ebyabe · CC BY 2.5Belleair’s building-damage rate from coastal flooding is in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Belleair gets a B− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns, #48 of 638 in Florida. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (50%), then river and rain flooding (32%). Flood insurance has paid 183 claims here since 1979.
Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded
What stands out about Belleair’s natural hazards
From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.
What Belleair faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Hurricanes
River and rain flooding
Coastal flooding
Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.
What’s behind Belleair’s grade
Hurricanes are 50% of the building damage FEMA expects in Belleair, and Belleair’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 12%, at a rate in the top 2% of U.S. census tracts.
B− #48 of 638 in Florida; higher expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns (21,298).
Belleair’s residents live in 3 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Florida town has higher expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, Belleair has less expected damage per building than 93% of Florida towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.6M a year in losses across Belleair: $1.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does Belleair flood? Yes: 183 flood claims since 1979
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Belleair, from FEMA’s records: 80.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 95% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.
- Hurricane Helene70 claims · $12.2M
- The Blizzard of 199364 claims · $1.5M
- Hurricane Milton8 claims · $496K
Belleair is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 7) for its flood-proofing work.
Insurance rates: Pinellas County.8 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Belleair
Disasters that paid out in Belleair itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Belleair), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2024Hurricane Milton261 households applied for aid$262K aid approved$161K to the Town of Belleair for repairs8 flood claims paid for it, $496K
- 2024Hurricane Helene156 households applied for aid$410K aid approved$431K to the Town of Belleair for repairs70 flood claims paid for it, $12.2M
- 2023Hurricane Idalia5 households applied for aid$115K to the Town of Belleair for repairs3 flood claims paid for it, $243K
- 2022Hurricane Ian17 households applied for aid$3K aid approved$60K to the Town of Belleair for repairs
- 2017Hurricane Irma368 households applied for aid$90K aid approved$633K to the Town of Belleair for repairs1 flood claim paid that year
- 2004Hurricane Jeanne12 households applied for aid$2K aid approved$71K to the Town of Belleair for repairs
Show all 8
- 2004Hurricane Frances10 households applied for aid$3K aid approved$44K to the Town of Belleair for repairs
- 2004Tropical Storm Bonnie and Hurricane Charley$3K to the Town of Belleair for repairs
Pinellas County has had 32 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Also 3 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Pinellas County, 1999–2001.
Old photos of Belleair after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Belleair archive →Belleair and its neighbors
Belleair is 2nd of the 4 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belleair Bluffs | Bless damage than 56% | hurricanes | 9 |
| Belleair | B−more damage than 53% | hurricanes | 183 |
| Clearwater | B−more damage than 53% | hurricanes | 2,320 |
| Largo | C+more damage than 61% | river and rain flooding | 645 |
Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Get ready for what Belleair faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
- Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
- Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
- Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
- Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
- Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
- Know your evacuation zone and the way off the coast.
- Storm surge comes fast: leave when you’re told, not when the water arrives.
- Move cars to high ground before king tides and nor’easters.
- Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
- Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
- Belleair residents get 15% off flood insurance.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Belleair
Is Belleair at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Belleair has higher expected damage per building than 53% of U.S. towns: B− for hazard risk, #48 of 638 in Florida. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (50%) and river and rain flooding (32%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Does Belleair flood?
Flood insurance has paid 183 claims in Belleair since 1979, $14.9M in all, or 80.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 95% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 11 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Helene (70).
Is Belleair in a flood zone?
Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Pinellas County, 19.4% of all homes carry federal flood insurance.
How much is flood insurance in Belleair?
Belleair is in FEMA’s Community Rating System (class 7), which takes 15% off federal flood insurance policies for its flood-proofing work. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Belleair?
By FEMA money that reached Belleair, Hurricane Helene (2024): 156 households applied for aid, $410K approved, and $431K to the Town of Belleair for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Helene: 70 paid, $12.2M.
Is Belleair at risk from hurricanes?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (50%), and Belleair’s rate for it is in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Belleair.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Belleair’s residents lived in the 2020 census; OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.