Rebuilding After a Flood in Tampa Bay
If your house took water in Helene or Milton, you have three choices: repair, elevate, or rebuild. Which are open to you depends on a rule most owners hear about from the City. Here it is in plain words. Built to Last. Built for You.
The 50% rule
FEMA's rule for a house in a Special Flood Hazard Area: if the cost to repair the damage equals or exceeds 50% of the market value of the structure, not counting the land, the house is "substantially damaged" and must be brought into compliance with current floodplain rules. The same test applies to improvements. Local officials make the determination, and a city may adopt a stricter standard (FEMA, Substantial Damage Quick Guide, fema.gov/fact-sheet/substantial-damage-quick-guide, January 21, 2025).
Compliance usually means elevating to today's required floor height, or replacing the house with one that is.
City of Tampa. Tampa uses 50%. Its Substantial Improvement/Damage Determination form values the structure by a certified appraisal or the Hillsborough County Property Appraiser's verified assessment, and counts work done within one year, including expired permits (City of Tampa SI/SD form, updated 12/09/2024). Contact: Construction Services, 813-274-3100 option 1.
City of St. Petersburg. St. Petersburg uses 49%. If repairs and improvements equal or exceed 49% of the structure's pre-storm market value, the whole structure must meet current zoning, building and floodplain rules. The City uses the Pinellas County Property Appraiser's value, or an independent appraisal by a state-licensed appraiser within the last 12 months (stpete.org/residents/public_safety/permitting_after_a_storm.php). Contact: StormRecoveryPermits@stpete.org, 727-893-7231.
Both cities require a permit for storm repairs. Do not start work without one.
What counts: materials and labor, including your own; demolition; contractor overhead; finishes; and the cost of code compliance itself (FEMA Substantial Damage Quick Guide). The other side of the fraction is the structure alone, not the land, which is why an older waterfront house often crosses the line on modest damage.
Repair, elevate or rebuild
Repair is open to you if the cost is under the threshold. Same house, same height.
Elevate means lifting the house onto a new foundation at the required height. It works for some houses and not others.
Rebuild means a new house designed to the required elevation from the start, on the lot you own. This is what we do.
Flood zone and elevation
The Base Flood Elevation is the water level with a 1-percent chance in any year (fema.gov/about/glossary/base-flood-elevation-bfe). The Florida Building Code puts the lowest floor of a new house at or above BFE plus 1 foot, or the design flood elevation if higher (FBC Residential R322.2.1). Tampa sets its design flood elevation in City Code Ch. 5-121 and St. Petersburg in its floodplain ordinance. Look up any address at tampafl.withforerunner.com/properties (Tampa) or the Prepare St. Pete map (stpete.org/residents/public_safety/flooding.php).
How we price a rebuild
We do not publish prices. A rebuild is priced in two parts: demolition and site work, bid by the trades, and the new house, priced from its plans and finishes. Both are open-book cost-plus: every bid and invoice visible, our fee a line in the contract. If insurance or an ICC claim funds part of it, we document the job the way the adjuster needs it.
Three things you get from us
We find your lot if you would rather not rebuild where you are: our acquisition team finds one, or you come in early on one of our custom homes under construction and make it yours. Open-book cost-plus: every dollar visible. The Home Record: photos of every wall before drywall, every inspection, every product, the as-builts. After a flood, that is also proof of what was built and how high.
Permitting
Tampa permits the new house through Accela; St. Petersburg through its online permit system (tampa.gov Residential Permits; stpete.org Building Permits). Demolition is a separate permit in both. We file and track all of it.
Our process
- Call. We connect you with our senior staff.
- Walk the house. Zone, elevation, damage, the City's number.
- Design and budget. Drawn in-house, bid by the trades, shown to you.
- Permits, demolition, build. Every inspection and pre-drywall photo into your Home Record.
- Close. Keys, Home Record, our number.
Finished Crescent homes
Questions we get
Do you handle the demolition?
Yes. It is a separate permit and part of our job.
Is there a deadline?
Ask the City. Deadlines have been set and changed since the 2024 storms and we will not print one that may be stale. Tampa: 813-274-3100 option 1. St. Petersburg: 727-893-7231.
Can I just repair and not tell anyone?
Repairs without a permit are illegal in both cities and count toward the threshold when discovered. Do not.
Will a new house be elevated?
Yes, to the height the code and the City require for your zone, and designed to that height so it reads as one house, not a house on stilts.
Who do I talk to?
Our senior staff. Call 813-923-1023 or send the form and we connect you.
Send us your address
Flooded and deciding what to do? Send the address. We look up the zone and elevation, and a person calls you back the same business day.
Crescent Homes Inc. · 5201 W Kennedy Blvd #132, Tampa, FL 33609 · 813-923-1023