I definitely DON’T need flood insurance
If you live in a blimp, you probably don’t need flood insurance. You've got bigger problems. If you live in a condo above the 5th floor, you are probably not going to get flooded any time soon. An earthquake in 1958 in Alaska's Lituya Bay generated a wave 100 feet high and a random rouge wave 84 feet high was recorded off the coast of Norway in 1995. Basically, your property has to be really far off the ground or in a place it never rains before you are free from the worries of flooding. But there's a reason property in the Atacama Desert is so cheap; not only has no one heard of it, but it’s probably a sad place to live.
I PROBABLY don’t need it
There are plenty of properties that have a very low risk of flooding, but none of those properties are in Florida. The average elevation in Florida is 6 feet and no part of Florida is more than 80 miles from the coast. Hurricanes easily maintain their strength hundreds of miles inland and drop an average of 16 inches of rain. Hurricane Harvey dropped over FOUR FEET of rain 50 miles inland on an area that is 100 feet above sea level. If that kind of thing happened in Destin, it could rearrange the coastline and cause serious damage to even the most well prepared properties.
I probably DO need it
If you are asking yourself this question, you are probably already worried about flooding so you might as well get the coverage and quit worrying about it. There are a lot more options for flood insurance than there used to be, with non-government policies available in all flood zones, including the CBRS zone (sometimes called Cobra zone) which includes portions of Regatta Bay, Kelly Plantation, and Crystal Beach, along with other areas along the Gulf Coast shoreline.
Use this tool to check out your flood zone here: https://msc.fema.gov/portal/search.
I HAVE to have it
Your bank may require it if your property is in a flood zone. Two houses right next to each other may get different prices for flood insurance based on their individual characteristics. Prices range from a few hundred dollars to many thousands so be careful and know your insurance costs before committing. An Elevation Certificate is the form insurance companies use when determining flood insurance prices, you can find it on the FEMA website or through your insurance agent.
Do I need Flood Insurance?
A better question would be, what are my odds? It's all a number game, you could always take the risk and as long as nothing bad happens it seems to pay off. An insurance agent would tell you to get flood insurance because there is always a chance your property could be flooded. Just because your property is in an X zone or is a third floor condo unit doesn't mean you are immune from floods, it just means there is a smaller chance. An insurance policy wont reduce your chance of flooding but it may give you the weightless feeling of flying on a blimp.