City of Tampa responds to questions about violation notices for storm damaged homes

Yahoo

06-02-2025

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Some people are still learning about trying to make repairs to their homes following storm damage.
Others are getting letters from the city saying they are in violation of Tampa code, they have to replace or repair the damage, get a permit, and if it's not corrected by Feb. 25, the city will proceed with further legal action.
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'I feel like I am being victimized, again, all over again,' said Heather Morrison, who explained that she's been actively waiting on insurance to help pay for the damages.
A City of Tampa spokesperson said on Feb. 3, they completed 93 inspections to determine if properties were in violation of code. They served 62 notices that day. It's unclear exactly how many violations were storm related.
Mary Wynn said a tree fell on her house during Hurricane Milton. The city said the walls and roof of her home are in violation after their inspection.
'Never been inside my house, they've never seen my ceilings, so this would be a lie, that would be a lie, and that would be a lie,' Wynn said.
The city spokesperson gave 8 On Your Side specifics about Wynn's case, saying the condition of the exterior wall is why the inspector determined repairs are needed.
News Channel 8 On Your Side went to the city's last hurricane recovery meeting. The chief building official said he couldn't speak to the violation notices because he said they didn't come from his department.
The name listed on the violations is the Neighborhood Enhancement Division. 8 On Your Side asked the chief if there is anything in Tampa Building Code that would give people an idea of how long they have to get repairs done before receiving these letters.
'There's never really a time limit. You know, we have different types of permits; we have emergency permits if you need to come in and hurry up and shore something up. What we would do is ask you to reach out to, you know, based off of who was on that letter, contact the inspector, contact who issued it. And therefore, we're working with you,' said JC Hudgison, the chief building official. 'There's not a time limit. We're willing to work with everyone. If they come in and say, 'Hey, I'm waiting on an insurance claim,' or things like that, we work with the citizens based off the conditions.'
He said the name of the game is compliance, and the city would like to know something is being done to get to compliance.
'We're not going down every street trying to issue citations. It's saying, 'Hey, this is unsafe potentially, and we need things to happen.' So then, therefore, as I talked in there, is your protecting your property as well as the adjacent neighbors,' Hudgison said.
News Channel 8 On Your Side also asked the city spokesperson if a resident shows proof of them working to get repairs done, can they avoid legal action, even it's not completed by Feb. 25. They answered, saying yes, as long as there are no urgent or dangerous conditions, residents can request extensions to complete the repairs.
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