PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Hundreds of seniors say they’re in a bind and could end up with nowhere to go, because of the way their storm-damaged mobile homes have been assessed.
In March, 235 homeowners in the Gateway Mobile Home Community off 4th Street received substantial damage letters. The letters from Pinellas County gave the affected homeowners the options of moving their mobile home to higher ground, building a new home up to current flood standards, or elevating their current home. A fourth option would be to pay for home demolition and vacate the community entirely.
The community is restricted to residents 55 and older.
Bonnie Sisco, who has lived in her home in the Gateway community for the past 15 years, received one of the substantial damage letters. She says her front porch and part of her roof was damaged, but flood water never made it inside of her home. Her home was repaired before she received the letter in March.
Her inspection and assessment, she says, claims water intrusion and valued her home at $16,000.
“My air conditioner never even went out. The flood water never made it inside,” she Sisco said.
Sisco says due to the age of her home, it can’t be lifted or moved. Her only options would be to demolish her home, which she says is in great condition.
“I put all my money into this. So if our options are to buy another place… I don’t have money to go and buy another house or pay to have this demolished,” she said. “They’re going to have a lot of homeless seniors.”
Darna Lopez, regional sales manager for Gateway Mobile Homes, says she understands that Pinellas County needs to make things safer for the future but hopes it can be done reasonably.
“We call on Pinellas County to reconsider its approach and adopt a more reasonable and compassionate valuation process—one that takes into account the real costs of repairs, the true condition of the homes, and the residents’ desire to remain in their homes and the community they love. We also want the County recognize the true fair market value of the homes, as they do for other types of residential dwellings, instead of valuing manufactured homes more like used cars. Our residents should not be forced out of their homes due to impractical demands or unfair assessments,” she said in a written statement.
Lopez estimates about 130 homes are still affected. The remainder of the residents who received the letters have either moved or successfully appealed.
Pinellas County Public Information Coordinator John Carkeet says the inspections were done under FEMA guidelines, and referred homeowners to apply for disaster recovery money that will become available in the coming months.
“Pinellas County conducted substantial damage inspections at Gateway Mobile Home Park and other storm-impacted areas under FEMA’s federally mandated guidelines. Residents had the opportunity to request reassessments and appeals, and we continue to provide guidance on next steps. Our focus is on helping homeowners pursue recovery plans and connecting them with resources such as the upcoming Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program, which will provide financial assistance for eligible residents. For more information, residents may visit recovery.pinellas.gov for recovery resources or pinellas.gov/stormpermits for storm damage permitting,” he wrote in a statement to Spectrum Bay News 9.
Sisco has appealed to a special magistrate and has a hearing scheduled for early October.
Angie Angers
Source link