CORTEZ, Fla. — Residents in mobile home communities in the Cortez area of Manatee County were left devastated by hurricanes Helene and Milton. Now, many of them are at risk of outright losing their homes because the extensive cost of repairs outweighs the home's value.
County officials met with community members to try to answer some pressing questions.
Some of the damaged mobile homes in places like Sunny Shores Park and Cortez Village were also affected by flooding from the storm surge. On the surface, some of the homes look fixable but a 50-50 rule under the National Flood Insurance Program prevents repairs that cost above 50% of a home's market value. Several impacted homeowners were at the meeting to learn what exactly this would mean for them and their claim for assistance.
"I'm going be 65 years old and I lost everything I've worked so nothing that we did wrong because we live in an area that was damaged," Carol Chew, a Cortez village neighbor, said.
Chew is among around 1,000 homeowners from various mobile home communities in Cortez who are worried about losing their homes.
She said her home was valued at $30,000 after the storm, but after trying to apply for FEMA assistance, she was told she could only spend under $15,000 to rebuild.
"If I can't stay within their dollar amount, I can't rebuild my home. So my plan, if I got assistance from FEMA, was to use that money to put my house back together so I could go home, but now, I don't know that I'm going to be able to meet that because the value that they placed on my home is not that much money based on what it's going to cost to do the repairs," she explained.
Additionally, county officials said for the homes to come into compliance, many of the homeowners will have to elevate their property.
"For a 1,500 square-foot house, you are looking at over $100,000 in order to build a foundation and lift it up. I think the biggest frustration is basically people are afraid to lose their homes," Bill Palmer from Manatee County Development Services said.
Community advocates have joined forces to try to help families learn what they're entitled to and assist them with finding other options and resources.
"People are trying to think outside the box. Can I remove my mobile home and put an RV there? That's why we need to engage so we can look at what the options are. The worst-case scenario as people are displaced. Well, if they're a family or where do they go?" Ernie Vanderwalt, a community advocate, said.
"We care about the community and we will all have to come together again to look at what we can do so these people do not end up on the street," Vanderwalt added.
According to some of the neighbors, many of these trailers and lots were passed down for multiple generations, and they would like to keep them in their families.
Officials also said because the structures are located in a special flood hazard area, any updated improvement must be according to the county's current flood plain standards.