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USCG Cutter DUANEUSCG Cutter DUANE · Public domain
D−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Tavernier · FEMA

FEMA puts Tavernier’s expected hazard damage per building above that of 97% of U.S. towns, mostly from hurricanes

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Tavernier gets a D− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is hurricanes (78%), then coastal flooding (15%). Flood insurance has paid 235 claims here since 1988.

Hurricanes 78%Coastal flooding 15%River and rain flooding 6%

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 97%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
D−
in Florida · higher than 97% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
Hurricanes
78% of expected building damage
Flood claims
235
paid since 1988 · $5.7M
Disasters paid out here
4
of 35 declared for Monroe County

What stands out about Tavernier’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

235 paid flood claims since 1988$5.7M in all. More per home than 97% of U.S. towns.Coastal flooding: the top 1% of U.S. tractsFEMA’s building-damage rate for coastal flooding here ranks in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts; it is 15.2% of the damage it expects.Made safer with FEMA grants7 buildings retrofitted against wind; 2 homes raised above flood level with FEMA grants.Remembers 2017129 flood claims were paid for 2017 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Tavernier faces

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

Hurricanes

78%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 4 years in the area

Coastal flooding

15%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts

River and rain flooding

6%of expected building damage
Well below average · lower than 98% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 2 years in the area
Smaller shares here
 Tornadoes Hail Strong wind Wildfire Earthquakes Cold waves Heat waves Landslides Lightning
FEMA models no building damage here
Winter stormsIce stormsAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

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 Tavernier’s grade

Hurricanes are 78% of the building damage FEMA expects in Tavernier, and Tavernier’s rate of hurricanes damage is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts. Coastal flooding adds 15%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Tavernier sits
Tavernier
Least damageMiddleMost damage

D− higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Tavernier’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
Hurricanes78%Coastal flooding15%River and rain flooding6%Everything else1%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $2.5M a year in losses across Tavernier: $2.3M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Recent disaster.FEMA’s model looks at expected damage to the buildings standing today. After Hurricane Irma in 2017, FEMA took 2,156 aid registrations from Tavernier addresses (the town has 2,059 homes) and flood insurance paid 128 claims for $4.2M.
Shared tract.All of Tavernier’s 2,530 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Tavernier flood? Yes: 235 flood claims since 1988

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Tavernier, from FEMA’s records: 114.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 97% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1988: 1 claim1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 0 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 1 claim1995: 0 claims1996: 1 claim1997: 0 claims1998: 24 claims1999: 15 claims2000: 0 claims2001: 0 claims2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 55 claims2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 2 claims2009: 0 claims2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 1 claim2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 129 claims2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 0 claims2021: 0 claims2022: 1 claim2023: 5 claims2024: 0 claims2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims199820052017
19882026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Irma128 claims · $4.2M
  • Hurricane Wilma38 claims · $644K
  • Hurricane Georges (Keys)22 claims · $178K
235
paid claims since 1988
$5.7M
paid to owners
0
homes flooded more than once
$24K
average claim
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

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

Insurance rates: Monroe County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
7buildings retrofitted against wind
2homes raised above flood level
Disasters

4 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Tavernier

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

  1. 2022Hurricane Ian48 households applied for aid$3K aid approved1 flood claim paid for it, $125K
  2. 2017Hurricane Irma2,156 households applied for aid$2.8M aid approved128 flood claims paid for it, $4.2M
  3. 2005Hurricane Wilma385 households applied for aid$131K aid approved38 flood claims paid for it, $644K
  4. 2004Tropical Storm Bonnie and Hurricane Charley19 households applied for aid$3K aid approved
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in TavernierMonroe County only

Monroe County has had 35 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 2 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Monroe County, 1999–2001.

Were you here?

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

Add to the Tavernier archive →
Next door

Tavernier and its neighbors

Tavernier is 2nd of the 3 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.

Islamorada, Village of Islands: hazard risk D−Key Largo: hazard risk D−Islamorada, Village of IslandsKey LargoTavernier
Lowest fifthSecondMiddleFourthHighest fifth
TownHazard riskMostly (buildings)Flood claims
Islamorada, Village of IslandsD−more damage than 96%hurricanes334
TavernierD−more damage than 97%hurricanes235
Key LargoD−more damage than 98%hurricanes680

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 Tavernier faces

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

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 ↗
When the tide surges
  • 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.
More from Ready.gov ↗
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 ↗
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 Tavernier

Is Tavernier at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Tavernier has higher expected damage per building than 97% of U.S. towns: D− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is hurricanes (78%) and coastal flooding (15%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Tavernier flood?

Flood insurance has paid 235 claims in Tavernier since 1988, $5.7M in all, or 114.1 per 1,000 homes, more than 97% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. The most claims came from Hurricane Irma (128).

Is Tavernier 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 Monroe County, 61% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 58.2% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Tavernier?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Tavernier’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 Tavernier?

By FEMA money that reached Tavernier, Hurricane Irma (2017): 2,156 households applied for aid, $2.8M approved. By flood claims, Hurricane Irma: 128 paid, $4.2M.

Is Tavernier at risk from hurricanes?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (78%), and Tavernier’s rate for it is in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Tavernier.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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