NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. — Flooding from Hurricane Debby and other recent storms has cities across Tampa Bay looking for ways to mitigate the damage, and maybe bring insurance rates down at the same time.
New Port Richey just passed a new ordinance aimed at that, by requiring mobile homes to be built higher, and hopefully, out of harm’s way.
On Tuesday, New Port Richey’s city council voted to amend its land development code. It now requires manufactured homes, new, or those being replaced, to be higher off the ground.
“The new standard is that they must be elevated to at least 1 foot above the base flood elevation," City Manager Debbie Manns said.
Existing homes will be exempt from the changes, but the idea, over the long haul, is to reduce insurance claims and rates.
“Yeah, anything we can do to bring the insurance rates down, I mean, insurance is out of control,” City Councilman Matt Murphy said. “It seems like it never goes down, always goes up, right?"
New Port Richey hopes raising homes will improve its ranking with FEMA’s Community Rating System, which calculates discounts on an area’s flood insurance policies based on steps cities take to mitigate flood damage.
Right now, New Port Richey scores a seven, good for a 15% discount. They'd like to get it to a five, which could save the average homeowner as much as 25%.
People living in one of the local mobile home parks said they can understand the city’s goals.
“Well, it's a matter of safety. All kinds of people live in mobile homes,” mobile home owner Monica McCarthy said. “Folks, my age, and young people with children. And flooding is a concern.”
Her neighbor, Corbin Hauser, agreed.
“Spend a little extra now, and then it saves you, saves your home and everything in it,” Hauser said. “It's going to save you in the long run.”
Critics say elevating mobile homes will cost money – as much as $5,000 to $10,000 in construction costs.
But proponents say over the long haul that could be offset by lower insurance rates. Although they concede this change alone won’t be enough.
“I would say that the goal of moving the rate to a five requires an understanding of what it will take to move the rate to five,” Councilman Peter Altman said. “And that includes the designation of stormwater areas and a whole bunch of things. So, it's a good step forward.”
Manns said New Port Richey is one area that did not see significant flooding increases during recent storms. So, she described the new law as a proactive step that could help not just those moving into new manufactured homes but anyone in the city hoping to eventually see insurance rates come down.
The new ordinance also requires all new homes being built for one or two families to have a foundation designed by a professional.
The city says that requirement currently exists, but until now it had not been written into the city code.