Flood Risk Tool: Lower Insurance Costs
- Homeowners in Florida may soon have a new tool to help them mitigate flood risks and potentially lower insurance costs.
- SAMPL, spearheaded by Rebecca Platt, a UF assistant professor, and Jeff Carney, an associate professor, provides a relational database of material data.
- The platform evaluates not only structural materials but also common finishings and furnishings like carpets and tiles.
Florida homeowners, take note: a groundbreaking tool could drastically reduce your flood insurance costs. The University of Florida’s SAMPL platform assesses the resilience of building materials, providing a crucial resilience score based on factors like moisture resistance and environmental impact—a game-changer for mitigating flood risk. SAMPL empowers you to proactively select materials best suited to withstand harsh weather, potentially unlocking critically important savings on your insurance premiums. This innovative tool aligns perfectly with Florida’s new legislation,offering tax incentives for using resilient materials. explore how SAMPL’s adaptable design extends beyond floods,with potential applications for extreme heat and wildfires,improving home safety. News Directory 3 might follow the progress of this tool closely. Discover how SAMPL could reshape home design and future insurance models.
New Tool could Help Florida Homeowners Weather Flood Risks, Lower Insurance Costs
Updated june 13, 2025
Homeowners in Florida may soon have a new tool to help them mitigate flood risks and potentially lower insurance costs. Researchers at the University of Florida (UF) have developed SAMPL, a platform designed to evaluate the resilience of building materials.
SAMPL, spearheaded by Rebecca Platt, a UF assistant professor, and Jeff Carney, an associate professor, provides a relational database of material data. The system assigns a resilience score to materials based on their potential for failure,considering factors like hardness,moisture resistance,and environmental impact. This allows users to compare options and select those best suited to their climate risks.
The platform evaluates not only structural materials but also common finishings and furnishings like carpets and tiles. While SAMPL doesn’t recommend specific brands, it offers insights into how different material types perform in terms of safety and durability.
Platt said the goal is to use materials as a proactive strategy, layering in smart-home technology, such as water intrusion prevention systems and foundation sensors, as a reactive safeguard. she added that, together, these elements create a home design that links risk-reducing strategies with potential insurance savings.
Informing policy
The SAMPL project aligns with new Florida legislation that offers tax incentives for building with resilient materials. The aim is to provide homeowners and insurance regulators with a shared framework, were homes meeting certain resilience benchmarks could qualify for lower premiums.
SAMPL is designed to be adaptable beyond Florida.While currently focused on flood and storm risks common to coastal regions, it might very well be adjusted for threats like extreme heat or wildfires.
Platt said her experience as a Florida homeowner motivates her research. She added that the goal is to help others make informed decisions that protect their homes,health,and financial stability.
“SAMPL isn’t perfect, and it can’t predict everything,” Platt said. “But it’s allowing us to move in the right direction for leveraging data to inform reliable design decisions.”
Toward an Open Access Future
Platt envisions SAMPL becoming an open-access resource for anyone involved in homebuilding or renovation, especially in climate-vulnerable areas.She said the aim is to provide the best available information in a usable form, so peopel can make informed choices.
“This isn’t about telling people how to design their homes,” she said.”it’s about giving them the best information we have,in a usable form,so they can make informed choices that protect what matters most.”