PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — All across Pinellas County, mobile homeowners like Fraser Jennings are staring down uncertain futures.
“We’re getting worn out,” he said in a recent interview with ABC Action News. “It’s like, when’s it going to end?”
Months after Hurricane Helene, the county has deemed more than 1,100 mobile homes “substantially damaged.”
Under the FEMA rule adopted by Pinellas County, a home is deemed substantially damaged if the cost to repair it is 49% or more of its value without the land. A substantially damaged home will either have to be relocated or elevated to current flood elevations unless the determination is reversed.
State-certified appraiser Bob Keller said homeowners can successfully fight the determination and win a reversal, but it takes time, know-how, and patience.
First, he recommends getting educated.
“The county’s website does have a lot of information,” he said. “You just have to sift through it.”
Then, find a reputable appraiser and expect to pay anywhere from $400 to $1,000.
You can help your appraiser by finding pictures of your home from before Helene.
“Those are going to be almost mandatory so you can prove what you had,” Keller said.
Another important step is to find invoices and receipts from any past renovations. That work likely increased your home’s value, which means you’re allowed to spend a bigger amount to repair your home after Helene while remaining under the 49% threshold.
“There’s a lot of work that these folks have put into these homes that the county can’t see, or the cities can’t see, and that’s where your appraiser is going to come in and help you document what you have,” he said. “And that helps somebody like me as their appraiser to go ahead and be able to get an accurate value.”
When you communicate with county staff, Keller said be persistent and firm but kind.
“They’re human. They’re just like you and me. They have a job to do,” he said. “The federal government, with FEMA, mandates what they have to do. And sometimes, it’s not what we all want to hear.”
Even though he thinks his tips can help some mobile homeowners keep their homes, he admits it’s a daunting process, especially for more elderly homeowners.
“The lack of technology in the mobile home parks for some of the residents is a very, very large barrier for them to get the information, find out what they need to do,” he said.
His advice to Pinellas County? The county should consider holding more town halls, sending out more communications, and launching more campaigns to educate and assist mobile home communities hit hard with substantial damage letters.
You can contact Keller by emailing info@fema50.com or by visiting his website, www.fema50.com.
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