PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Pinellas Recovers has launched a program to replace storm-damaged mobile homes for those living in some of the county’s most vulnerable communities.
Under the Homeowner Rehabilitation and Reconstruction program, qualifying mobile homes can be replaced with a new storm-grade unit with no cost to the homeowner.
“There’s a large need in Pinellas County for mobile home owners”, explained Mackenzie Bergstrom, Grant Coordinator with Pinellas County. “A lot of them are in floodways and with this HUD funding we’re really trying to mitigate what happened to them in 2024 where they were flooded and it was very unexpected.”
Ever since Bonnie Sisco’s home inside the Gateway Mobile Home Park was deemed substantially damaged, she says the process has felt unpredictable.
“We’re all seniors here and it’s nerve-wracking!” Sisco said. “All of a sudden they’re surveying here. We don’t know…is a bulldozer going to pull up some day and they don’t tell us?”
Sisco said her home survived the hurricanes in good condition, but because of its age it failed FEMA’s 50% rule, which limits repairs to substantially damaged structures. Without the money to tear down and rebuild her home herself, she turned to the county’s HUD-funded replacement program.
Under the program, her current home will be demolished and replaced with a new manufactured home elevated five to eight feet above the ground to better protect it from future flooding. The project will require her to move out for up to three months while construction is completed.
Darna Lopez, who manages the property, said more than 100 homes at Gateway still have the substantial damage designation. Many residents are trying to fight it, and have until the end of the year to do so.
Neighbor Jamie Divine is one of them. She says her home is in great condition, and she doesn’t want it replaced.
“We’ve considered it, but our house is such a nice house even though it’s older,” Divine said. “I can’t get a comparable new home that’s as nice as my home.”
According to Pinellas Recovers, more than 400 residents currently have active applications for replacement homes. Bergstrom said the county has expanded staffing to keep pace with demand.
“We’ve tripled our case management staff,” she explained. “That’s why you’re seeing some turnover. As our staff grows, so has their list of applicants. We’re making sure everyone has been able to be gotten to.”
The new homes will be built to Wind Zone 3 standards, the highest federal wind safety rating for manufactured homes. They are designed to withstand sustained winds of up to 110 miles per hour.
“We can really get them a new home that is hopefully going to withstand the test of time and any natural disaster that could be thrown at us this hurricane season,” Bergstrom said.
With the promise of a new home, Sisco remains anxious about the practical challenges ahead, including packing her items, finding storage and paying for temporary housing during construction.
“It just makes me sad that I’ve lived here 18 years and they’re just going to come in and bulldoze the place,” she said.
Officials say that while homes cannot be elevated indefinitely because of safety concerns, they are working on another expansion of the program that would provide relocation assistance for residents whose homes cannot meet the current elevation guidelines.