GULF HARBORS, Fla. — A year after Hurricane Helene, many Pasco County residents are still unable to return to their flood-damaged homes.
General contractor Kurt Lindeman has been busy with repairs.
“This house was flooded two feet up,” Lindeman said as he walked through one of about 65 renovation projects done by his company, Construction Pros, since last year’s hurricanes.
His own home was one of them.
“I got people back in their homes before I got back in my own home,” Lindeman said.
In the Gulf Harbors community, Lindeman estimates about 500 homes still need renovation. Some owners are waiting for insurance money, while others did not receive enough to cover repair costs. For those without insurance, the work remains out of reach.
“I’ve had many like that. They are just sitting on it. They don’t know what to do,” Lindeman said.
Some residents chose to sell. Homes were often bought by investors for a fraction of their value. Others renovated and then sold.
Realtor Judi Probst said many of the people facing tough decisions are elderly.
“We brought them multiple offers so they had a choice. Is this offer satisfactory to you to make you want to go ahead and move back with your kids or move on in such a way. Understand many of these people had owned these houses for 30, 40, 50 years even. Long time home owners. So they had equity,” Probst said.
She said homes that did not flood sold well, but those that did flood often had to drop asking prices by 10 to 20 percent.
“That sounds horrible. But when you look at the buyline trends, remember we had a huge surge in the Covid days,” Probst said.
Kim and Jim Claud decided to renovate their home, but the choice was not easy.
“Never had we seen that much wide spread devastation. So there were times in thick of it that I don’t ever want to go through this again,” said Kim Claud.
Still, she said the decision to stay brought its own reward.
“The silver lining for us is our house is absolutely beautiful now and its amazing,” Claud said.
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For more than 15 years, Erik Waxler has called Pasco County home. He’s dedicated to helping his neighbors solve problems and celebrate those who help others. Share your ideas and tips with Erik below.
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