FOX 13 Tampa’s Evyn Moon talks to residents of Florida who say they’ve had enough after enduring hurricanes Helene and Milton.
TAMPA, Fla. – After back-to-back storms this hurricane season, many residents are planning to sell their homes to either move out of flood zones, or out of the Sunshine State completely. Some wasted no time with a contract for a new home.
“We’re not going to move back into this house, it was a very traumatic, and I don’t want to go through this again,” said Jody Hameroff, a St. Petersburg resident. “We actually have a contract on a new house, we’re just not going to come back here. No joke, my husband had someone looking for us two days after (Helene).”
Right next door, her neighbor in Shore Acres said they’re also selling after they rebuild.
“Is this worth going through again? How am I going to feel next year, let alone two weeks later like this one was?” said Chris Beardslee, a Shore Acres resident. “It’s more important for peace of mind for the future to move along and sell the house for what we can get for it.”
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Beardslee said his family tried convincing him to leave the state, but he couldn’t leave his law practice in the area.
“You think, should I move home where I grew up? Could we move across the country? But for my profession, it keeps me in the area,” he said.
He plans to rebuild first, but a relator said she’s getting dozens of calls – some from residents wanting to sell their homes while its still gutted.
“They don’t want to do it anymore, and I don’t really blame them, of course,” said Tampa Bay area realtor Eileen Bedinghaus. “So, they’re very discouraged. And of everyone that I’ve met with so far, all but one are for sure going to sell.”
However, she warned there are some problems with these sudden moves.
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This aerial picture taken on October 11, 2024 shows a destroyed home in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton in Port St Lucie, Florida. (MIGUEL J. RODRIGUEZ CARRILLO/AFP)
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In this aerial photo, a vehicle drives though a flooded street after Hurricane Milton, in Siesta Key, Florida, on October 10, 2024. At least 10 people were dead after Hurricane Milton smashed into Florida, US authorities said October 10, 2024, after the monster weather system sent tornados spinning across the state and flooded swaths of the Tampa Bay area. (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP) (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images) ( )
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A woman carries a monitor in Tampa, Florida, as people remove debris and clean their homes after flooding caused by Hurricane Milton on October 11, 2024. The death toll from Hurricane Milton rose to at least 16 on Friday, officials in Florida said, as residents began the painful process of piecing their lives and homes back together. Nearly 2.5 million households and businesses were still without power, and some areas in the path cut through the Sunshine State by the monster storm from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean remained flooded. (Photo by GIORGIO VIERA / AFP) (Photo by GIORGIO VIERA/AFP via Getty Images) ( )
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A friendly cat was rescued from a pile of rubble in a neighborhood in Tampa on Friday, October 11, during recovery efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton. (Ryan Bass)
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TOPSHOT – The MidFlorida Amphitheater’s roof lies partially collapsed in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton in Tampa Florida, on October 10, 2024. At least 10 people were dead after Hurricane Milton smashed into Florida, US authorities said, after the monster weather system sent tornados spinning across the state and flooded swaths of the Tampa Bay area. (Photo by Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo / AFP) (Photo by MIGUEL J. RODRIGUEZ CARRILLO/AFP via Getty Images) ( )
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FILE – People walk past boarded up storefronts in Tampa ahead of Hurricane Milton’s expected landfall in the middle of this week on October 8, 2024 in Florida. Hurricane Milton exploded in strength October 7 to become a potentially catastrophic Category 5 storm bound for Florida, threatening the US state with a second ferocious hurricane in as many weeks. (Photo by Bryan R. SMITH / AFP) (Photo by BRYAN R. SMITH/AFP via Getty Images) ( )
“Moving out of their area there’s other issues, such as the values are increasing for areas that are not in a flood zone, taxes will increase when they move, and they’re very concerned about what is going to happen to their insurance,” said Bedinghaus.
“For some it’s their fourth flood, and I don’t know how they stayed after the first one, but I’m not interested in going through a second one,” said Beardslee.