It's been a long battle but Fort Myers Beach is back in the good graces of the federal flood insurance program. That can save a significant amount of money for home and business owners.    

FEMA has informed the town that property owners are welcome again to get flood insurance policies and discounts. The town had been on probation with the federal program.

Hurricane Ian swamped Fort Myers Beach with up to 18 feet of water, and after that, FEMA demanded a lot of changes in local regulations.

Fort Myers Beach just received a letter from FEMA, saying the town has updated the permitting and enforcement processes to help reduce future flood losses.

Some people on the beach are applauding the town management staff for working through a long and convoluted process to satisfy FEMA concerns.

Jacki Liszak is director of the Fort Myers Beach Chamber of Commerce.

"We know now that we can get that little bit of extra discount," Liszak said. "And we can get flood insurance.   If you leave FEMA, it can be complicated. Getting private insurance is very expensive and hard to get.   So it's very much a relief, and a relief on our pocketbooks."   

The approval for flood insurance comes after FEMA officials paid a three-day visit to Fort Myers Beach last July. The chamber's Liszak said the final approval decision and the letter informing the town probably were delayed by the six-week-long federal government shutdown.

Mike Walcher is a reporter with WGCU News. He also teaches Journalism at Florida Gulf Coast University.