County reports major backlog on manufactured‑home substantial‑damage reviews; permits rising for single‑family and condos

Pinellas County Building and Development Review Services told commissioners on Jan. 28 that manufactured homes are the largest technical challenge in the county’s substantial‑damage and reassessment process after recent storms.

Kevin McCandrew, director of Building and Development Review Services, said the county processed roughly 3,900 residential structures through FEMA estimator tools in the initial phase, then broke that total into single‑family, condominium/townhouse and manufactured/mobile home categories to clarify results.

Key numbers: McCandrew said just under 3,000 single‑family homes were processed through the FEMA estimator tool and that about 430 single‑family properties (roughly 14%) initially were identified as substantially damaged. By contrast, of about 823 manufactured homes processed, roughly 95% — about 782 units — received initial substantial‑damage determinations.

Why manufactured homes differ: McCandrew said industry studies and field experience show that when a manufactured home takes on water above the living‑floor elevation the under‑floor sheathing and structural elements typically render the unit "substantially damaged" for repair and rebuilding rules. He warned owners that private appraisals can be costly and often will not change determinations because many units are older and heavily depreciated.

Reassessments and permitting: McCandrew described the reassessment process that lets property owners seek reversal of an initial substantial‑damage finding. He said 244 reassessment files exist (unincorporated county), with 163 in review and 54 withdrawn; 27 reassessments have been reversed from substantially damaged to not substantially damaged, and he said none that reached final review have remained as substantially damaged.

On condominiums, McCandrew said multistory condominiums had been cleared for substantial‑improvement permitting after a policy decision; single‑story condominium/townhouse units processed (35 buildings, 375 units) have not been deemed substantially damaged in unincorporated Pinellas County. He said condominium permitting is expected to rise quickly as large condo associations engage contractors; staff cited a contractor representing up to 700 units and expected roughly 100 condominium permits in the next month.

Manufactured‑home approach and communications: The county said it is finalizing a hybrid policy to process manufactured‑home cases, providing in‑office, in‑person support and a specialized team (cost estimator, certified appraiser, certified floodplain manager) to handle reassessments. McCandrew said the county had increased direct callbacks from subject‑matter experts to applicants and contractors and had issued some 2,247 building permits across rebuild activity, with the in‑person support hub helping residents with permitting and reassessments.

What it means for owners: Staff emphasized that many manufactured homes are decades old and that elevation or repair funding and eligibility for increased cost‑of‑compliance payments (up to $30,000) will depend on documentation and appraisal results. McCandrew said owners considering private appraisals should be warned that depreciation and low market value often make the 49% repair threshold difficult to meet.

Ending: County staff said the goal is to drive down the reassessment backlog quickly and to support condominium repairs and single‑family permitting while rolling out a distinct process for manufactured homes that reflects their construction standards and depreciation.