My wife and I wanted to purchase a house at Bean Point for 1.7M when we visited Anna Maria Island back in January. We love all the houses there, and it is such a quiet and lovely place with almost no parking for outside visitors. We had to delay the purchase because there was an issue with getting home and flood insurance. Well, I called the real estate agent yesterday, and she informed me that Anna Maria Island is severely damaged by Helene, especially Bean Point, Holmes beach. The gulf drive is about three feet under the sand from the storm surge. I feel awful for people with homes in AMI but we really dodged a bullet by not purchasing a home there. Anna Maria Island will never be the same again.

Sorry to hear that. The beach replenishment done in some places ended up in the streets, looks like from photos, or back in the water.

Anonymous wrote: My local county beach park, where I love to take the kids to play and watch the sunset, was destroyed. It had gotten damaged in Idalia and just reopened a few months ago!

I am so, so sorry to hear that. This has been a hell of a few years.

Anonymous wrote:Hang in there OP.
I grew up in Gulfport. My late parents' and grandparents' houses are on highish ground a few blocks north of Stetson so they may be ok except for the big live oaks and cabbage palms one is like t0mfeet tall now. Even though zi have no ownership it would be sad to think they were destroyed.
But the downtown and marina area and beach areas are trashed. 7 foot storm surge right through the buildings. The places I had my few happy childhood memories are wiped out. I am really sad.
DH says well look how fortunate you are now. You don't live there. NOT THE POINT!
PassAGrille my other happy place is trashed too.

This is OP - and we used to live in Gulfport, too. I love that place but one reason we didn't buy there is because of all the flooding!

I was just walking around downtown St Pete this morning and it looks more or less fine. (Thank goodness.) I was only along the waterfront, but if the waterfront is fine then higher up should be fine, too.

Anonymous wrote:that is good to hear, a dream neighborhood it is! do you find the flood zone maps reliable and still able to get flood insurance there?

i had my eye on a property that was a couple blocks in from coffee pot that was not in a flood zone according to the fema/city map, but was next door to a house in a flood zone. very confusing. i assume people get the flood coverage even if not in the flood zone, but if close to it, just to be safe, if they are able to?

I would go talk to neighbors about their experience of flooding - the thing is that the flood zone will tell you if you are required to purchase flood insurance but it won't tell you if that particular yard or street floods every time there's heavy rain; only the people living there will know that.

We're up the hill a bit in a neighborhood that hasn't flooded (and shouldn't, but who knows anymore). We do buy flood insurance - we get it through State Farm. (I think - my spouse handles these things.)

That area around Coffee Pot is really, really nice. I hope that property works out for you!

My local county beach park, where I love to take the kids to play and watch the sunset, was destroyed. It had gotten damaged in Idalia and just reopened a few months ago!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Remind me again, why are you in Florida?

I can understand that low-income families cannot afford to move. But the others?

NP. I'm here in the Tampa Bay area, having some hurricane snacks. I live inland. Talk to me again when you have a blizzard heading your way!

Probably won't much in the future since climate change has turned the DMV area into southern climes.

No flooding in center of Old Northeast. It has never gone to 4th St. Glad to finally get my electricity back!

Hang in there OP.
I grew up in Gulfport. My late parents' and grandparents' houses are on highish ground a few blocks north of Stetson so they may be ok except for the big live oaks and cabbage palms one is like t0mfeet tall now. Even though zi have no ownership it would be sad to think they were destroyed.
But the downtown and marina area and beach areas are trashed. 7 foot storm surge right through the buildings. The places I had my few happy childhood memories are wiped out. I am really sad.
DH says well look how fortunate you are now. You don't live there. NOT THE POINT!
PassAGrille my other happy place is trashed too.

that is good to hear, a dream neighborhood it is! do you find the flood zone maps reliable and still able to get flood insurance there?

i had my eye on a property that was a couple blocks in from coffee pot that was not in a flood zone according to the fema/city map, but was next door to a house in a flood zone. very confusing. i assume people get the flood coverage even if not in the flood zone, but if close to it, just to be safe, if they are able to?

Anonymous wrote:hang in there and best of luck to you all! if you are in st. pete, just curious, how far up from coffee pot bayou did the water go in olf northeast (not talking snell island, but just across / south of there). i see the front street lining coffee pot was underwater before the storm. did it eventually go up much further, and if so, was it just road water, or did house several blocks in get damage? i am reading the water got as far west as 4th street, but assume that is just up in shore acres?

I am the OP and I am in St Pete in that area. I walked around by Coffee Pot this morning, and there was still a lot of flooding there, but it doesn't look like it reached the houses on that street; I don't think it got any higher than Coffee Pot Boulevard in Old NE.

hang in there and best of luck to you all! if you are in st. pete, just curious, how far up from coffee pot bayou did the water go in olf northeast (not talking snell island, but just across / south of there). i see the front street lining coffee pot was underwater before the storm. did it eventually go up much further, and if so, was it just road water, or did house several blocks in get damage? i am reading the water got as far west as 4th street, but assume that is just up in shore acres?