ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — People in a Pinellas County mobile home park have an extra year to either elevate their homes or leave.
The county originally set a deadline of June 1 for residents of the Twin City manufactured home community to complete the work.
It’s a spot Erin Roth said flooded when she bought her home nearly 15 years ago, although not as badly.
“It probably only ever got ankle deep. Now, you’re talking up to here if you’re standing in the middle of the road,” Roth said, gesturing to her chest. “That’s a big difference.”
The “for sale” sign in her front yard is a simple way of saying she’s had enough.
“When I leave here for good, I don’t want to worry about floods five years from now, ten years from now, or two weeks from now. I don’t ever want to think about it again,” she said.
Water got inside Roth’s house twice in the past year - once in August, after Hurricane Idalia, and again after a December storm.
“Idalia really ruined the house. We had to spend quite a bit of money to get it livable,” said Roth.
She said FEMA helped her with the $22,000 necessary to make repairs.
On top of mother nature, Twin City residents have been dealing with a different kind of uncertainty since October. That’s when Pinellas County sent letters to 82 households. It let them know their homes had to “be brought into compliance with local zoning, building and floodplain management regulations” by June 1.
A county spokesperson said that included raising homes to 11 feet, which is based on the local flood plain code. Officials previously told Spectrum News they took this step to stay in the National Flood Insurance Program.
Roth said she hasn’t looked into elevating her home.
“A friend of mine did, and they quoted him, like, $75,000,” she said.
Assistant County Administrator Tom Almonte said in a statement the deadline for residents is extended to June 1, 2025.
“We have reached out repeatedly to park management to obtain access to the property to host an informational community meeting and also to discuss potential solutions, but have not received a response to date,” Almonte said in the statement. “We are committed to supporting the residents of Twin City, but as a privately-owned property, we need the collaboration of the ownership to move forward.”
“You can’t find management until they want to be found,” Roth said. “A lot of people are scrambling to leave right now.”
But Roth said that can be easier said that done, especially with a lack of affordable housing.
“It’s hard to find a place to live. So, it’s like you’re stuck between a rock and a hard place,” she said.
She said the deadline extension won’t necessarily help with that.
“We’re not going to get anything out of these places. The more water gets in them. So, it means nothing for us. I mean, thanks for not kicking us out, but in the end of it all, we are the ones that are going to be screwed,” she said.
Her more immediate concern: the rain forecast for this week.
“We’re leaving. Mentally, I cannot handle this anymore,” Roth said.
She and her family planned to head to an Airbnb to wait out the weather and hope their home escapes more damage.
Almonte said the county let residents know of the temporary occupancy deadline extension in a letter, which also provided information on how to prepare for this hurricane season. Residents with any questions were encouraged to reach out to the county at (727) 464-7700.
Spectrum News reached out to Lakeshore Management, which runs Twin City. They did not respond to the request for comment.