@Jennifer S. Thanks for the follow up. Building over a few feet over base flood elevation is relatively inexpensive for new construction. For existing buildings a retrofit involves physically lifting a building which can be very expensive. Depending on a number of factors including the flood zone determination and various mitigation methods the insurance premiums can vary significantly under the current NFIP guidelines. The NFIP program is actively being reviewed and we could see some changes in the near future.
Flordia will soon be requiring by code, free board which basically means building to a certain hight over base flood elevation for new construction. There are costs associated with building more resilient structures and unfortunately this could be part of the reason some structures haven't been built as well as they could be.
Avoiding flood zones can be a good idea and in fact many would recommend this. Unfortunately in the past fill has been used as a means to develop in flood zones. The issue with this is the adverse impact on the flood plain. If this is done to a sizable area then structures that were not previously at risk are now put into harm's way.
I don't think people are opposed to looking at elevations. I think the issue here is one of awareness. Inspections generally don't cover flood mitigation and people don't typically look into flood insurance unless they are required to for their mortgage or they have experienced a flood event. Another major issue is that floods still happen outside flood zones. People often overlook flood insurance and mitigation when they learn they are not in a flood zone or near the coast through a false sense of security. They also overlook this when it is not covered in their home inspections despite flood being the leading natural disaster in the US.
We are seeing flood events increase in frequency and intensity. I would encourage those looking to learn more about specific property risk to visit the flood risk evaluator which can review elevation certificates and flood zone determinations for mistakes. They can also make recommendations on various mitigation methods like raising mechanicals or using fill in a sub-grade space to potentially lower flood insurance premiums with your current insurer and so on.
There are other ways to learn about a property's risk from various other hazards. One example is Hazard Hub. While this is a bit outside of what I do and I don't know a whole ton about it; I think it could be useful when evaluating properties to purchase and perhaps considering additions things to insure for.
The accessibility issue might or might not be an issue depending of height, the buyer's mobility and so on. I hope that helps.
