Walter Smutz needs a change, and he needs one fast.
He lives in Twin City, a flood-prone mobile home park in Pinellas County that flooded just last month.
“Roof leaking. Floors are warped,” he recalled. “Water going all the way to my screen porch.”
It’s a problem so bad, Pinellas County Government has declared many of the homes “substantially damaged” and given people living in them an expensive choice: elevate them or relocate them.
“I can’t afford it. That’s the position,” said Smutz. “I’m worried about how much longer I can make it until I can find a safer place.”
However, in a Thursday night meeting, Pinellas County leaders laid out a plan to help.
Thanks to recently-acquired state funding, a new program will provide many in Twin City Mobile Home Park up to $30,000 in assistance that can be used to relocate mobile homes, elevate them, or rent elsewhere.
“We understand the condition that many of those residents are living in, and the reality is, it’s not by choice,” explained Assistant County Administrator Tom Almonte. “We have a responsibility as a county [to help].”