Hurricane Milton inflicted damage on nearly 16,000 homes in St. Petersburg, leaving residents with a complex and potentially costly rebuilding process.

City officials are working diligently to assist storm victims and prevent them from having to decide between moving, elevating their homes, or undoing completed work.

Floodplain manager Hannah Rebholz provided important clarifications for city council members during a Thursday morning committee meeting. She mentioned that due to strict federal regulations, the planning and development administration has taken on a more rigorous role.

“We can help people through the whole process,” Rebholz assured. “We want to work with people.”

Assistance will be necessary for thousands of residents. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) requires property owners in Special Flood Hazard areas (SFH) with damage exceeding 50% of a structure’s pre-storm market value to rebuild in accordance with current regulations.

Rebholz noted that roughly 75% of St. Petersburg falls within SFH. Most residents with significant damage must elevate or sell what remains of their homes after two major storms.

The city’s threshold is slightly lower than FEMA’s, at 49% of a structure’s pre-storm market value. This reduction allows property owners to save between 25% and 30% on flood insurance.

Rebholz emphasized that the regulations help mitigate both current and future flood risks and apply to typical building improvements as well.

Councilmember Brandi Gabbard highlighted the necessity of compliance: “FEMA passes these rules, and we are left to enforce them.”

She recommended that storm victims who have lived in their homes for decades get an updated appraisal to stay below the 49% threshold.

Residents in SFH areas must also submit previous photos to support the appraisal. The city’s building department and FEMA will accept family photos that show a remodeled kitchen, for instance.

“Everything attached is included: cabinets, countertops, fixtures, hard-wired appliances, flooring, trim, and finishes,” Rebholz explained.

Permits are mandatory, and while designed for licensed contractors, homeowners can also complete the process. However, self-repairs must account for standard labor and material costs. Recycled or donated materials and self-performed labor increase a home’s value similarly to contractor-completed work.

The building department has created a new application for prioritized storm permits to ensure compliance with the mandated procedure.

“It can go ahead of all the regular permits,” Rebholz added. “It’s challenging to prioritize 20,000 permits, but at least they’re at the front of the line.”

Residents must also submit a basic floor plan. Officials will help applicants by printing a building’s outline from the property appraiser’s website and drawing rooms and interior walls.

Permit requests meeting or exceeding 25% of a home’s value will trigger a substantial improvement requirement. This is essentially an itemized contractor’s estimate to ensure costs stay below the 49% threshold.

FEMA will conduct initial curbside inspections, and city staff will use this information to estimate substantial damage. If losses exceed 49% of a home’s value, another inspection will be triggered.

Homeowners have until March 27 to bring their homes into compliance or appeal the determination. FEMA expects “three sets of eyes on every house” to get through their audit.

Rebholz noted that extensive planning went into this unprecedented situation and emphasized that most Pinellas County municipalities closed their permitting offices after the storms.

“We give people the chance and opportunity to come and talk with us … and we can work with them,” Rebholz reiterated. “We’re a bit more humanized that way, and we’re the only place in the county still doing that.”

Noncompliance has serious consequences. Residents who completed repairs and exceed the 49% threshold must either “rip it out” or hire someone to elevate their home. “You have to follow the rules,” Rebholz said.

Gabbard acknowledged that confusion surrounding the process is significant and will be revisited in a public workshop on Friday afternoon.

To register for the “49% Rule Virtual Info Session,” visit the website here: City of St. Petersburg Permitting After a Storm.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X

(Image created with AI)