Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Sun City Center

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Sun City Center · FEMA

On FEMA’s figures, Sun City Center faces more hazard damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sun City Center gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns, #327 of 638 in Florida. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (58%), then hurricanes (35%). Flood insurance has paid 12 claims here since 2001.

River and rain flooding 58%Hurricanes 35%Tornadoes 5%

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

more than 80%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade#327 of 638 in Florida
Hazard risk
C−#327 of 638
in Florida · higher than 80% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
58% of expected building damage
Flood claims
12
paid since 2001 · $97K
Disasters paid out here
8
of 34 declared for Hillsborough County
By hazard

What Sun City Center faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

River and rain flooding

58%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 71% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 2 times a year in the area

Hurricanes

35%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 4 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Wildfire Hail Strong wind Cold waves Lightning Coastal flooding Earthquakes Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Winter stormsIce stormsAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 10% of Sun City Center’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.1%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

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.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Sun City Center’s grade

River and rain flooding is 58% of the building damage FEMA expects in Sun City Center, and Sun City Center’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 71% of U.S. census tracts. Hurricanes add 35%, at a rate in the top 10% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Sun City Center sits
Sun City Center
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− #327 of 638 in Florida; higher expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns (21,298).

Sun City Center’s residents live in 9 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding58%Hurricanes35%Tornadoes5%Everything else2%

The typical Florida town has higher expected damage than 79% of U.S. towns; within the state, Sun City Center has more expected damage per building than 51% of Florida towns.

In dollars, FEMA expects about $11.8M a year in losses across Sun City Center: $8.9M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Recent disaster.FEMA’s model looks at expected damage to the buildings standing today. After Hurricane Milton in 2024, FEMA took 4,308 aid registrations from Sun City Center addresses (the town has 19,017 homes) and flood insurance paid 3 claims for $31K.
A firm figure. It combines 9 census tracts by where Sun City Center’s residents live. FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims and disasters below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Sun City Center flood? Sometimes: 12 flood claims since 2001

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Sun City Center, from FEMA’s records: 0.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 86% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
2001: 2 claims2002: 1 claim2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 0 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 2 claims2008: 0 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 1 claim2013: 1 claim2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 1 claim2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 1 claim2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 3 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims200120072024
20012026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Milton3 claims · $31K
  • The Torrential rain2 claims · $13K
  • Hurricane Eta1 claim · $1K
12
paid claims since 2001
$97K
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$8K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Sun City Center isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Hillsborough County.
Disasters

8 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Sun City Center

Disasters that paid out in Sun City Center itself (aid to households or repair grants to Sun City Center), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2024Hurricane Milton4,308 households applied for aid$851K aid approved3 flood claims paid for it, $31K
  2. 2024Hurricane Helene518 households applied for aid$171K aid approved
  3. 2024Hurricane Debby66 households applied for aid$37K aid approved1 flood claim paid for it, $4K
  4. 2023Hurricane Idalia64 households applied for aid$11K aid approved
  5. 2022Hurricane Ian1,059 households applied for aid$332K aid approved
  6. 2017Hurricane Irma213 households applied for aid$45K aid approved1 flood claim paid for it, $31K
Show all 8
  1. 2004Hurricane Jeanne45 households applied for aid$10K aid approved
  2. 2004Hurricane Frances9 households applied for aid$3K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in Sun City CenterHillsborough County only

Hillsborough County has had 34 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 Hillsborough County, 1999–2001.

Were you here?

Old photos of Sun City Center after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Sun City Center archive →
Next door

Sun City Center and its neighbors

Sun City Center is 5th of the 5 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Ruskin: hazard risk C+Wimauma: hazard risk CApollo Beach: hazard risk CBalm: hazard risk CRuskinWimaumaApollo BeachBalmSun City Center
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
RuskinC+more damage than 65%hurricanes562
Apollo BeachCmore damage than 65%hurricanes1,014
BalmCmore damage than 68%river and rain flooding—
WimaumaCmore damage than 70%river and rain flooding2
Sun City CenterC−more damage than 80%river and rain flooding12

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.

Be ready

Get ready for what Sun City Center faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Hurricane season
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • 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.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Sun City Center

Is Sun City Center at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Sun City Center has higher expected damage per building than 80% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #327 of 638 in Florida. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (58%) and hurricanes (35%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Sun City Center flood?

Flood insurance has paid 12 claims in Sun City Center since 2001, $97K in all, or 0.6 per 1,000 homes, fewer than 86% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Milton (3).

Is Sun City Center 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 Hillsborough County, 61% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 12.1% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Sun City Center?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Sun City Center’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

What was the biggest storm in Sun City Center?

By FEMA money that reached Sun City Center, Hurricane Milton (2024): 4,308 households applied for aid, $851K approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Milton: 3 paid, $31K.

Is Sun City Center at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (58%), and Sun City Center’s rate for it is higher than 71% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Sun City Center.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Sun City Center’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.