Two years after the water came, Jen and RJ Garbowicz still own a piece of St. Petersburg. It is an empty lot on a bayou off Tampa Bay, nearly an acre, with a few concrete pilings jutting out of the ground where their house once stood.
Hurricane Helene flooded it in September 2024. Hurricane Milton tore up the roof less than two weeks later. The couple had both flood and homeowners insurance. The flood policy paid in full, $250,000, and FEMA sent them about $33,000. Their homeowners insurer offered $2,279.41 against a $713,000 policy limit. They demolished what the hurricanes hadn’t and they estimate it will cost more than $1.5 million to rebuild their home.
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