Buyers Beware-Flooding
 

Mandatory Florida Flood Disclosure
The new Florida Flood Disclosure requires Sellers to provide a 'Flood Disclosure' to Home Buyers before a contract is signed.
Also, they must report if they have filed an insurance claim for flood damage.
It says "Flooding includes partial or complete inundation of the property.
This will give buyers crucial information prior to executing the sales contract".

Has mother nature ever caused flood in a home here?

If I recall correctly, hurricane Irma caused some flooding in the historic area.

I also recall Irma caused some flooding in the historical side of TV. It was September 11, 2017. In short, that was prior to a lot of construction in the southern Villages of TV.

On the golf courses, right?

I believe there was a recent article in a paper indicating street flooding close to some homes again in this past month in the Historic Section.

Plus at least one home.

St. Amant painfully remembers the flooding experienced seven years ago when Irma drenched The Villages. The Historic Side was particularly hard hit, and even the golf cart bridge providing passage over U.S. Hwy. 27/441 had to be closed due to flooding.

St. Amant’s home sustained $26,000 in damage in the wake of Hurricane Irma.


From the other place.

Read article yesterday some are fearing lake getting close to flooding on historical side. Change take buying at or near water level.

Nope, homes were also affected.

Regardless, if your home is within a FEMA flood map zone you will be required (if you borrowed money from a lender) to get flood insurance. If you’re interested to see the risk your home is/is not in use the link below.
FEMA Flood Map Service Center | Welcome!

For those not aware, it takes some time for the FEMA maps to update on the new areas.

The Developer builds up the home sites to be above FEMA flood levels. Typically more than 75ft above sea level here.

Golf courses, retention areas, streets and yards are designed to flood long before the homes are at risk.

Thankfully most houses at the edge of the lakes on this side of the Villages are on supports, rather than concrete slabs. So flooding risk is not too bad, all things considered. We did get flooding, down where Kim turns and changes its name to Silver Oak, there's a small retention pond on one side, and Silver Lake on the other side, and the road was completely covered with around 5 inches of water at its deepest. Drivable if you go slowly. The banks of the lake where peoples back yards are, were almost completely submerged. That was yesterday, no idea what it looks like today.

Someone living off Powell and 466A was trapped in her home for two days because it was surrounded by flooding. It was caused by a retention pond built at the new Home Depot property. I don't think the woman's house is a Villages home, but it's definitely a problem in the area.

Moutrie Creek area is in a swamp. It just is.. FEMA shows as Zone AE for most of it. Thats a 26% chance over the life of a 30-year mortgage

Last month (August 2024) was Hurricane Debby, just a heavy rainstorm by the time it hit TV.
I saw a villager showing off his rain gage filled to the top 10 inches.

Question: Did the Moultrie Creek/Middleton/Shady Brook area have and water rising close to any homes?

I am in the process of buying a home in Shady Brook. It is in an AE Zone. I assume the Developer has raised the foundation of the home above the water hazard elevation and that FEMA will update the map in a few years (I will appeal).

Thanks

Don't assume anything about what the developer did. He is interested in selling you a house not in protecting you from needing flood insurance. He follows the minimum requirements of the building codes. So if the house having a higher foundation is important, you better check that feature.

My recollection is that the water damage was due to rain through broken windows, etc. Not flooding.

Wrong. Search for article in that other online newspaper, September 7th 2024 regarding historic side owners worrying about recent water rising. They provide the interview one of the homeowners gave regarding flooding his home suffered from Irma in 2017.

This is all paraphrased, no direct quotes.

Why Buy in Florida
 

If you were afraid of flooding in Florida, why on Earth would you consider buying here! Move on.

If a flood comes, pony up and try and keep the insurance companies out of it if you can.

We are the lightning capital of the world! You are going to see at least one 5 inch rainstorm a year. Recently in Ft. Lauderdale they got over 20 inches of rain in a 24 hour period. It’s gonna rain, and you are going to see occasional flooding. We have coastline an hour plus on either the eastward or westward side of us. In addition, Hurricanes bring torrential rain at times no matter where you live in the state. We aren’t living on mountain tops.

Yeah, Florida gets rain and it’s fairly flat. However, I think most would avoid buying in a FEMA floodplain if at all possible.

Information is there for those who are contemplating a purchase in the The Villages and if they want to gamble, they have the freedom of choice to do so.

There were a couple of houses that had windows broken by trees. Then the high winds brought in the rain. So, pretty sure not wrong.

Search for the article with the suggestions provided and read for yourself. A house being flooded is much different than damp flooring from a broken window.

Have you identified any recent Villages home still in the flood plane after construction?

People can verify by checking the altimeter available in most GPS. Anything above 75 ft is above the flood plain here.

Flooding in Duval caused by the construction of the assisted living facility on 466a. I think TV covered it and added a large retention pond.

Also in Shady Brook. Moving in early October. Hoping the FEMA maps are updated soon. I just paid $1400 for FEMA flood insurance. Neptune, a private company, was $75 more.
To put this in context, homeowners insurance was $1475, with added extra sinkhole coverage.

That area is among the lowest risk from hurricane and floods in the state.

Duke Power used that area to stage thousands of trucks and workers prior to recert hurricanes.

At Duke'''s Hurricane Idalia staging area south of The Villages, hundreds of lineworkers are ready