It was a home. Now, Jason Hoch’s house in Madeira Beach is a question mark.
It’s a question mark keeping him up at night.
“We’ve really enjoyed living here, and you know, now our dream’s turned into a nightmare with this whole thing,” he said.
His waterfront home had never flooded before until Hurricane Helene.
“We had 15 inches of water in the main part of the house. Lost all of our belongings and our walls,” he said.
That experience was bad enough, but what’s worse is the uncertainty now setting in because of FEMA’s 50% rule, which is used to determine if a home was substantially damaged.
If you live in a special flood hazard area and suffered damage during Milton or Helene, the rule prevents you from making improvements to your home if those improvements exceed 50% of your home’s value.
According to Madeira Beach city staff, the value is confined to that of your home’s primary structure.
It’s determined by your county property appraiser or a third-party appraiser.
The 50% rule still applies, even if you do the work yourself and/or use donated materials.