MADEIRA BEACH, Fla. — It was a home. Now, Jason Hoch’s house in Madeira Beach is a question mark.
It’s a question mark keeping him up at night.
“We’ve really enjoyed living here, and you know, now our dream’s turned into a nightmare with this whole thing,” he said.
His waterfront home had never flooded before until Hurricane Helene.
“We had 15 inches of water in the main part of the house. Lost all of our belongings and our walls,” he said.
That experience was bad enough, but what’s worse is the uncertainty now setting in because of FEMA’s 50% rule, which is used to determine if a home was substantially damaged.
If you live in a special flood hazard area and suffered damage during Milton or Helene, the rule prevents you from making improvements to your home if those improvements exceed 50% of your home’s value.
According to Madeira Beach city staff, the value is confined to that of your home’s primary structure.
It’s determined by your county property appraiser or a third-party appraiser.
The 50% rule still applies, even if you do the work yourself and/or use donated materials.
If your home’s repairs exceed 50% of your home’s value, you either have to relocate or elevate.
Hoch believes his home is not substantially damaged, but if it is, elevating is not an option.
“I’ve seen estimates anywhere from $175,000 to $400,000, and those are cash deals. You know, you just have to pay that,” he said.
In a Wednesday night meeting, Madeira Beach city staff answered questions about the rule and explained that fighting it could lead to serious consequences.
City staffers are currently inspecting homes to see if they are substantially damaged or not. The process, though, is time-consuming. The city is inspecting, on average, about 20 homes a day.
Mayor Anne-Marie Brooks doesn’t know what FEMA’s 50% rule will mean for her quaint coastal community, but she knows it won’t be good.
“It’s scary,” she said. “The residents are frustrated. They’re tired. They just want to go home.”
She fears the rule will force out longtime residents and bring in more investors and vacation rentals, which she said would change the fabric of Madeira Beach.
Even though the future of his home remains a question mark, Hoch isn’t ready to wave the white flag.
“I’m not going to give up,” he said. “We want to be here. We want to live here.”
Mayor Brooks, meanwhile, tells ABC Action News her city staff has no direct contact with FEMA, which has complicated the process of answering the public’s questions and providing them with reliable information about the rule and process of rebuilding.
