Editor, Daily News:

Thank you, Collier County, for preventing “big government," also known as the Federal Emergency Management Agency, from imposing flood insurance on Golden Gate Estates homeowners.

County Manager Jim Mudd and Development Services Administrator Joe Schmitt, along with county engineers Stan Chrzanowski and Robert Wiley, have done a great job of staying on top of this issue. Commissioner Jim Coletta was also personally involved, traveling to Atlanta and meeting with FEMA. I do not mean to single out Coletta, as the entire county board supported resolutions in opposition to FEMA’s misguided studies and conclusions.

FEMA proposed in 2000 to change the flood zone for Golden Gate Estates from D to A. Flood zone D means “undetermined" and flood insurance is available but not required. Flood zone A means there is a 1 percent annual chance of flooding and therefore flood insurance is mandatory if you have a mortgage.

A house with a replacement cost of $100,000 would expect a premium of about $1,000 per year. Therefore, if every home (and guest home) were required to purchase flood insurance every year, the annual cost to Estates residents could easily top $50 million. “Thank you" to them all.

The cost of living is high enough without having to pay the federal government another $1,000 to $2,000 per year for something we do not need.

David Farmer, Golden Gate Estates