Back-to-back hurricanes Helene and Milton have pushed many Florida residents to their breaking point, with homeowners in flood-prone areas rushing to list their properties and relocate to safer ground – or leave the state entirely.

“We’re not going to move back into this house, it was very traumatic, and I don’t want to go through this again,” Jody Hameroff of St. Petersburg told Fox 13 Tampa Bay. Her family acted swiftly, securing a contract on a new home just days after Hurricane Helene struck.

The sentiment echoes through her Shore Acres neighborhood, where neighbor Chris Beardslee plans to sell after rebuilding. “Is this worth going through again? How am I going to feel next year, let alone two weeks later like this one was?” he reflects. Though his family urged him to leave Florida altogether, his law practice keeps him tethered to the Tampa Bay area. “It’s more important for peace of mind for the future to move along and sell the house for what we can get for it.”

Local realtor Eileen Bedinghaus reports a surge in calls from homeowners looking to sell, even while their properties remain gutted from storm damage. “They don’t want to do it anymore, and I don’t really blame them,” she says. “Of everyone that I’ve met with so far, all but one are for sure going to sell.”

However, Bedinghaus cautions about challenges facing those seeking higher ground:

• Property values in non-flood zones are rising
• Higher property taxes in safer areas
• Insurance concerns in new locations

For longtime residents like Beardslee, who’s witnessed neighbors endure multiple floods, the decision has become clear: “For some it’s their fourth flood, and I don’t know how they stayed after the first one, but I’m not interested in going through a second one.”

(Image credit: City of St. Pete Flickr/https://flic.kr/p/2p71yT1)