PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Pinellas County government staff members said they are working around the clock to get people permits and back in their homes after Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
Tuesday morning, they gave county commissioners a roughly two-hour briefing after weeks of outcry from impacted homeowners who are frustrated by the speed of permitting and the fact that many of their homes have been deemed substantially damaged through a confusing, often criticized process.
Under the so-called FEMA 50% rule, homes within a Special Flood Hazard Area that are declared substantially damaged must be demolished, relocated, or elevated.
In Pinellas County, homeowners who receive substantial damage determinations can submit an application for a reassessment and appeal the determination.
So far, the county has approved 1,900 permits related to storm damage. However, the county expects that the permitting process and the reassessment of substantial damage determinations will continue into February and beyond.
County Administrator Barry Burton and Kevin McAndrew, the county’s Building & Development Review Services director, acknowledged the sometimes slow speed of the process, as the county seeks to comply with the FEMA rules and avoid punishment handed down by FEMA in parts of southwest Florida following Hurricane Ian.
Homeowners in Fort Myers Beach lost a flood insurance discount because FEMA determined rules weren’t followed after Ian.
“We’ve tried to streamline the process, learn from others, and try to help our residents in the recovery efforts, but it does take time, and there is delays,” Burton said.
However, the county said it is trying to help homeowners as much as it can.
In the Tuesday meeting, McAndrew said the county recently established a direct way of getting questioning subject-matter experts who are involved in the reassessment process.
If your home in unincorporated Pinellas County was declared substantially damaged, and you are in the process of asking the county to reassess that determination, you or your contractor can email questions to SDDeterminations@pinellas.gov. You can also call 727-464-3888 and select Option 5 during business hours.
Despite the county’s assurance that it is helping homeowners, some remain angry, emotional, and exhausted since they have no idea when they will be back in their homes.
“This isn’t in my nature to do this, but I need you to hear this, and I need to speak up. I’m currently homeless. I can’t live in my home in the way it is right now,” one tearful homeowner, Joann Tuinier, told commissioners Tuesday.
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