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Bradenton Beach moves to condemn mobile home park, citing FEMA guidelines

In an emotionally charged meeting at Bradenton Beach City Hall Oct. 17, city commissioners and staff spoke to property owners about the need to condemn the Pines Trailer Park, citing catastrophic damage in the coastal city, as it struggles to recover from the impacts of Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

Hurricane Helene passed 150 miles off Anna Maria Island Sept. 26, triggering severe flooding across the region, leading members of the state’s community emergency response team to conclude that 90-95% of Bradenton Beach was destroyed following the storm. Storm surge from Helene reached over three feet in some areas, flooding low-lying properties and leaving more than six feet of sand on roadways.

Among the properties hardest hit were the Pines Trailer Park, 103 Church Ave., and the Sandpiper Resort, 2601 Gulf Drive N.

Both communities flooded due to surge from Helene, compounded by damaging winds when Hurricane Milton made landfall Oct. 9 just south of the city in Siesta Key. Milton brought sustained winds of over 110 mph, worsening the existing damages.

City building official Darin Cushing said manufactured homes within the Pines are considered “substantially damaged” under Federal Emergency Management Agency guidelines.

FEMA defines substantial damage as when the cost of restoring a structure to its pre-damaged condition, is at least 50% of the structure’s market value.