Does Biscayne Island flood?
Biscayne Island, Miami, FL · ZIP code 33139: the ZIP code on 82 of the 82 flood insurance claims counted here. ZIP codes do not follow neighborhood lines.
Yes. Insured properties in and around Biscayne Island have filed flood claims. About 100% of Biscayne Island’s mapped area is inside FEMA’s Special Flood Hazard Area (high-risk zones such as AE). NFIP flood insurance records list 82 claims from the Census block groups that cover Biscayne Island, from 1979 through 2017. 37 of them received a payment, totaling $1,145,262 (not adjusted for inflation). The busiest years were 1992 (27 claims), 2017 (15 claims), 1999 (13 claims).
Past claims do not predict future flooding, and a neighborhood figure cannot tell you about one building. Look up the exact address on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center (or the Miami-Dade County Flood Zone map viewer) and get flood insurance quotes before you sign a lease or a contract.
Check a specific address in Biscayne Island
Neighborhood figures are averages. Our address check looks up the FEMA flood zone and the hurricane evacuation zone at one address, from the same public maps: check if your address is in a flood zone.
Flood zones street by street in Biscayne Island
The named streets in Biscayne Island, longest first, with how much of each street’s length inside Biscayne Island lies in FEMA’s high-risk flood zones (the Special Flood Hazard Area, zones A and V). Length is the part inside Biscayne Island; the main zone is the FEMA zone covering most of that length. A street can cross several zones, so the zone at one address can differ from the street’s main zone: check the address above for that.
| Street | Length | In high-risk zones | Main zone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Venetian Way | 2,600 ft | 100% | AE (100%) |
| N Venetian Dr | 2,210 ft | 100% | AE (100%) |
Streets: U.S. Census Bureau TIGERweb, Transportation (primary, secondary and local roads). Flood zones: FEMA National Flood Hazard Layer (NFHL), Flood Hazard Zones and FIRM Panels, retrieved October 25, 2026. Each street is clipped to the neighborhood boundary and measured in an equal-area projection. Street lengths are rounded.
Flood zones in Biscayne Island
Share of Biscayne Island’s mapped area (about 0.142 km²) in each FEMA flood zone, from FEMA National Flood Hazard Layer (NFHL), Flood Hazard Zones and FIRM Panels. Mapped base flood elevations inside the neighborhood range from 9 to 10 feet. Effective date of the FIRM panel(s) covering it (12086C0316L): September 11, 2009.
| FEMA zone | Share of area |
|---|---|
| AE | 100% |
What the zones mean
- Zone AE (and A, AH, AO)
- High-risk: part of the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA), the area FEMA maps as having a 1-percent chance of flooding in any given year (the “100-year” or base flood). AE areas have a mapped base flood elevation.
- Zone VE (and V)
- High-risk coastal areas, also in the SFHA, where the base flood is expected to bring additional hazards from storm waves.
- Zone X (shaded)
- Moderate hazard: between the limits of the 1-percent and the 0.2-percent-annual-chance (“500-year”) flood.
- Zone X (unshaded)
- Minimal hazard: outside the SFHA and higher than the 0.2-percent-annual-chance flood elevation. Minimal is not zero: flood claims are filed from X zones too.
Source: FEMA Glossary: Flood Zones.
Flood insurance claims over time
Claims filed under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) from the 2010 Census block groups that cover Biscayne Island. About 8% of the combined area of those block groups lies inside Biscayne Island, so the claim figures also reflect some nearby blocks. Several of these block groups extend over open water of Biscayne Bay, which the Census includes in block-group boundaries; counting land only (Census land and water areas), about 58% lies inside Biscayne Island. Only insured properties appear, so these counts understate total flooding.
By decade
| Decade | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3 | $0 |
| 1980s | 2 | $440 |
| 1990s | 46 | $695,386 |
| 2000s | 13 | $129,796 |
| 2010s | 18 | $319,642 |
By year of loss
Named flood events with the most claims
- Hurricane Andrew: 24 claims
- Hurricane Irma: 15 claims
- Hurricane Irene: 13 claims
- Hurricane Wilma: 7 claims
- Flooding: 2 claims
FEMA labels some events only as “Flooding”. Claims by the flood zone the property was rated in:
- A/AE/AH/AO (high risk): 82
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Before you rent or buy in Biscayne Island
- Look up the exact address on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center; a neighborhood can mix high-risk and minimal-hazard zones.
- Ask the landlord or seller about past flooding and flood insurance claims at the property.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: new NFIP policies usually take 30 days to start (FloodSmart (NFIP): Buy a Flood Insurance Policy).
- Ask which floor the unit is on and where parking, storage and mechanical equipment sit.
- Hiring movers? Check the moving company’s federal license and insurance first with the free Miami mover check.
Living in Biscayne Island
Flood maps are only one part of choosing a neighborhood. For what day-to-day life in Biscayne Island is like, from parks to errands, see Living in Biscayne Island, Miami on StrollPlace.
Buyer and renter FAQ
Does Biscayne Island flood?
Yes. Insured properties in and around Biscayne Island have filed flood claims. About 100% of Biscayne Island’s mapped area is inside FEMA’s Special Flood Hazard Area (high-risk zones such as AE). NFIP flood insurance records list 82 claims from the Census block groups that cover Biscayne Island, from 1979 through 2017. 37 of them received a payment, totaling $1,145,262 (not adjusted for inflation). The busiest years were 1992 (27 claims), 2017 (15 claims), 1999 (13 claims). Past claims do not predict future flooding, and conditions vary street by street, so check the specific address.
Is Biscayne Island in a flood zone?
About 100% of Biscayne Island’s mapped area is inside FEMA’s Special Flood Hazard Area (high-risk zones such as AE). Shares by zone: AE 100%. The FIRM panel(s) covering it took effect September 11, 2009.
Which streets in Biscayne Island are in a high-risk flood zone?
Most of the length of Venetian Way and N Venetian Dr lies in FEMA high-risk zones (the Special Flood Hazard Area). Zones can change along a street, so check the exact address.
What ZIP code is Biscayne Island in?
Biscayne Island is in Miami, FL. ZIP code 33139: the ZIP code on 82 of the 82 flood insurance claims counted here. ZIP codes do not follow neighborhood lines. Check the specific address for its own flood zone.
Do renters need flood insurance?
Standard renters policies usually do not cover flood. Renters in a community that participates in the NFIP can buy contents-only flood coverage, up to $100,000 for belongings.
How long does a new flood policy take to start?
A new NFIP policy generally takes effect 30 days after purchase. Exceptions include no wait when the policy is bought while making, increasing, extending or renewing a mortgage, and a one-day wait in a newly designated high-risk zone within 12 months of the map change.
How much coverage can NFIP provide?
For a one-to-four family home, NFIP building coverage goes up to $250,000 and contents coverage up to $100,000. You can buy flood insurance even if you are not in a high-risk zone, as long as your community participates in the NFIP.
FAQ sources: FloodSmart (NFIP): Buy a Flood Insurance Policy; FEMA Fact Sheet: Think you don’t need flood insurance? Think again (Jan. 21, 2025); 44 CFR 61.11, Effective date and time of coverage.
Nearby neighborhoods
- San Marco Island – living in San Marco Island (StrollPlace)
- Watson Island – living in Watson Island (StrollPlace)
- Omni/PAC – living in Omni/PAC (StrollPlace)
- Does Edgewater flood?
- Bicentennial Park – living in Bicentennial Park (StrollPlace)
- Port of Miami – living in Port of Miami (StrollPlace)
How these numbers were made
Neighborhood boundary: City of Miami, Miami Neighborhoods (ArcGIS feature service). Flood zone shares: the neighborhood polygon intersected with FEMA National Flood Hazard Layer (NFHL), Flood Hazard Zones and FIRM Panels, area computed in an equal-area projection; retrieved October 25, 2026. Claims: OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3 records for Miami-Dade County (county code 12086), dataset as of September 8, 2026, retrieved October 25, 2026. A 2010 Census block group is counted for a neighborhood when at least 25% of the block group lies inside the neighborhood, or at least 25% of the neighborhood lies inside the block group. Block groups used: 120860027036 (7.7% of the block group is inside Biscayne Island). Neighboring pages can share a block group, so their counts can overlap. Paid totals add building, contents and Increased Cost of Compliance payments and are not adjusted for inflation; a claim whose FEMA record shows a negative payment (an adjustment) counts as zero. See the methodology.
Sources
- Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), FEMA OpenFEMA Dataset: FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims - v3. Retrieved on October 25, 2026.
- FEMA National Flood Hazard Layer (NFHL), Flood Hazard Zones and FIRM Panels. Retrieved on October 25, 2026.
- City of Miami, Miami Neighborhoods (ArcGIS feature service).
- U.S. Census Bureau TIGERweb, 2010 Census Block Groups.
- FEMA Glossary: Flood Zones.
- FloodSmart (NFIP): Buy a Flood Insurance Policy.
- FEMA Fact Sheet: Think you don’t need flood insurance? Think again (Jan. 21, 2025).
- 44 CFR 61.11, Effective date and time of coverage.
- OpenFEMA Terms and Conditions.
- U.S. Census Bureau TIGERweb, Transportation (primary, secondary and local roads).
Data as of September 8, 2026 (FEMA claims) and October 25, 2026 (flood zones). Page last updated October 25, 2026.