Effects Of Hurricane Hermine Still Felt

When Hurricane Hermine's winds were bearing down Sept. 2 on coastal Citrus County, Bill and Jill Coyle did the proper thing: They fled to higher ground to avoid the expected storm surge.

And when Hermine did, indeed, flood their Crystal River home, they contacted the city to find out how to go about repairing the damage.

They asked a local contractor to provide an estimate for repairs, then learned the city wouldn't provide building permits because the cost of repairs exceeded the value of their house, which meant it would need to be rebuilt under flood zone regulations.

No problem, Bill Coyle thought. Even though the Coyles paid cash for their property in September 2015, they bought a $150,000 flood insurance policy to protect their riverfront house.

They filed a claim and expected full coverage, since it is the Federal Emergency Management Agency's rule that when repair costs exceed the home's value, it forces local governments to require homeowners rebuild at flood zone levels.

That's not what they received though. The adjuster set the claim at $65,850 - actual damage minus depreciation - plus $20,000 for contents.

FEMA offered Coyle another $30,000 "cost of compliance" adjustment to rebuild his house at flood-zone levels, but it is paid only after Coyle tears his current house down.

It's a frustrating situation for Coyle, a former New Jersey businessman who is wellness director at the Citrus Memorial Health Foundation Branch of YMCA.

"I was always the one out helping people," he said. "I don't ask for help."

FEMA oversees the National Flood Insurance Program. Coyle purchased his flood insurance through State Farm agent Denise Christie in Tampa.

Flood insurance is closely regulated and all rates are consistent regardless of which local agent actually offers the coverage, Christie said.

A 20-year State Farm veteran, Christie said the Coyles were her first experience with a flood insurance claim. Like Coyle, she was surprised to learn FEMA would not pay replacement cost for a home damaged so severely by flood that its own rules require rebuilding.

"They will pay strictly for what is damaged and that is it," she said. "They are not going to pay policy limits unless your home is totally washed away."

The Coyles' home didn't wash away. In fact, they're still living in it but they know it isn't a good idea. Bill Coyle suspects mold is growing inside the walls, and one sliding door to a bathroom is splattered with mold.

He paid $360,000 for the waterfront property, but the house itself is worth $77,000, he said. He's had repair estimates of $92,000, but that would not come close to covering the cost of demolishing the house and rebuilding it to flood zone heights, he said.

"This is all high-level math for me," he said.

The Coyles chose their home site because of the riverfront beauty. Coyle said he understands and supports the rule that requires rebuilding a home that is substantially damaged by flood.

He is considering some options. One is to elevate his current house, though it would still need remodeling. Another is to gut the house and build a second level atop the current house.

Coyle has a trailer in his backyard, ready to be inhabited once whatever work he decides to do with the house starts in earnest.

"I came down here to live in paradise," he said. "I don't want to go through this again."

Contact Chronicle reporter Mike Wright at 352-563-3228 or [email protected].