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St. Pete Beach sends homeowner two very different damage assessment letters: ‘Devastated’

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Published  January 7, 2025 9:21pm EST
Pinellas County
FOX 13 News

Confusion over Hurricane damage percentage letters

FOX 13's Evyn Moon reports on Bay Area homeowners confused and frustrated by conflicting or wrong information they have received in hurricane damage letters.

The Brief

    • A St. Pete Beach resident was sent two different damage assessment letters – one that said to demolish and another that said to rebuild.
    • The city of St. Pete Beach acknowledged it was a clerical error.
    • These letters are crucial for residents impacted by the hurricanes as it tells them whether they are required to tear down their house.

ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. - Thousands of residents in Tampa Bay area beach towns are still struggling with the aftermath of Hurricanes Helene and Milton. 

One of the latest challenges facing homeowners is the confusion and frustration caused by substantial damage letters from local municipalities. These letters are crucial, because if the damage is deemed to be more than 50%, homeowners are required to tear down their houses. 

For many, these numbers are proving to be inaccurate and have caused confusion. 

READ: Artist uses beached sailboat in St. Pete to spread message of 'hope' after hurricanes

Sean Bryan, a St. Pete Beach resident, received two vastly different letters from the city. One of them said he had to demolish or elevate his home, while the other said he was fine to start rebuilding as-is.

"Initially, I received a non-substantial damage determination letter from the city of St. Pete, essentially saying that my property was damaged, but only 36.6% of the structure's value," Bryan said. 

Less than a week later, he received another letter from the city stating that his property was "substantially damaged," with the estimate now at 89.6% of the structure's value. 

"So it went from 36.6% to 89.6%," said Bryan. "Devastated. I was devastated, and I didn’t know how... I’ve got to replace drywall. I have to replace flooring. I’ve got to do cabinets, paint. That’s not 89.6% of my structure's value. How are these numbers determined?"

MORE: Final pass for storm debris collection begins Friday in St. Pete. Here's what to know

The city of St. Pete Beach has acknowledged it was a clerical error and has said they will only use the non-substantial damage letter, but Bryan is still worried, especially because the two letters still exist online.

He is not the only one facing this issue. Many residents in the area said their numbers are inaccurate. 

One man in Treasure Island said some residents with no flood damage got substantially damaged assessments. 

"Don’t take that letter as gospel, because it’s not accurate," Bryan warned. 

Most cities will accept appeals to their damage assessments. 

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