Does University Square flood?

University Square, Tampa, FL · ZIP code 33612: the ZIP code on 84 of the 84 flood insurance claims counted here. ZIP codes do not follow neighborhood lines.

Yes. Insured properties in and around University Square have filed flood claims. About 13% of University Square’s mapped area is inside FEMA’s Special Flood Hazard Area; the rest is in moderate or minimal-hazard Zone X. NFIP flood insurance records list 84 claims from the Census block groups that cover University Square, from 1979 through 2024. 63 of them received a payment, totaling $3,274,213 (not adjusted for inflation). The busiest years were 2024 (25 claims), 2004 (17 claims), 2014 (9 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 and get flood insurance quotes before you sign a lease or a contract.

Check a specific address in University Square

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 University Square

The named streets in University Square, longest first, with how much of each street’s length inside University Square lies in FEMA’s high-risk flood zones (the Special Flood Hazard Area, zones A and V). Length is the part inside University Square; 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. 18 shorter streets are not listed.

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 University Square

Share of University Square’s mapped area (about 2.651 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 29.5 to 33.8 feet. Effective date of the FIRM panel(s) covering it (12057C0212H, 12057C0216H): August 28, 2008.

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 University Square. About 91% of the combined area of those block groups lies inside University Square. Only insured properties appear, so these counts understate total flooding.

By decade

By year of loss

Named flood events with the most claims

• Hurricane Milton: 24 claims
• Hurricane Frances: 16 claims
• Tropical Storm Debby: 6 claims
• Flooding: 4 claims
• Hurricane Irma: 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): 76
• X/B/C (moderate or minimal): 7
• Not reported: 1

How much is flood insurance in University Square?

The typical National Flood Insurance Program policy on single-family homes in University Square costs $1,115 a year: the median of 51 policies that started between August 1, 2025 and July 31, 2026. Half of them cost between $883 and $1,317. That is the full amount paid for the year, the premium plus FEMA’s fees and surcharges, and every one of these policies is priced under Risk Rating 2.0. A quote for one building can be far from this: its elevation, foundation, age, coverage and deductible all change the price. Private flood insurance is not included.

Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Dataset: FIMA NFIP Redacted Policies - v3, computed October 25, 2026.

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Before you rent or buy in University Square

• 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 Tampa mover check.

Living in University Square

Flood maps are only one part of choosing a neighborhood. To compare University Square with other Tampa neighborhoods on more than flooding, see Tampa on StrollPlace.

Buyer and renter FAQ

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

• North Tampa Crime Civic
• Tampa Overlook
• Terrace Park
• Sulphur Springs
• Temple Crest
• Does East Forest Hills flood?

How these numbers were made

Neighborhood boundary: City of Tampa, Neighborhoods (open data, CC0). 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 Hillsborough County (county code 12057), 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: 120570003002 (62.0% of the block group is inside University Square), 120570002023 (100.0% of the block group is inside University Square), 120570003003 (82.7% of the block group is inside University Square), 120570002021 (100.0% of the block group is inside University Square), 120570002022 (100.0% of the block group is inside University Square). 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

1. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), FEMA OpenFEMA Dataset: FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims - v3. Retrieved on October 25, 2026.
2. FEMA National Flood Hazard Layer (NFHL), Flood Hazard Zones and FIRM Panels. Retrieved on October 25, 2026.
3. City of Tampa, Neighborhoods (open data, CC0).
4. U.S. Census Bureau TIGERweb, 2010 Census Block Groups.
5. FEMA Glossary: Flood Zones.
6. FloodSmart (NFIP): Buy a Flood Insurance Policy.
7. FEMA Fact Sheet: Think you don’t need flood insurance? Think again (Jan. 21, 2025).
8. 44 CFR 61.11, Effective date and time of coverage.
9. OpenFEMA Terms and Conditions.
10. FEMA OpenFEMA Dataset: FIMA NFIP Redacted Policies - v3.
11. 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.