TARPON SPRINGS, Fla. — Jessica Davis can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.
“I can,” she said with a smile. “I can. So I’m really excited about that.”
Wednesday afternoon, a painter finished repairing her Tarpon Springs apartment, which flooded severely during Hurricane Idalia.
“In the morning, around 7:53 to be exact, my neighbor texted me a picture, and we were like three feet under,” she said as she recalled the immediate aftermath of the storm.
She knew flooding was a real possibility at her apartment. Her landlord had told her that it was in a flood zone.
But, she thinks plenty of other renters across the state who live in flood zones and never get that important heads-up.
Sen. Linda Stewart agrees.
“They’re just unaware of what the risk might be,” said the state senator, who represents the eastern portion of Orange County. “Then, they find out too late what it is.”
Now, Stewart is trying to prevent that using legislation.
If passed, a bill she has filed would require landlords to give their renters a heads-up if the unit is in a flood zone.
“This bill is meant for the people who rent to be aware that they are in this zone, and they can choose to get flood insurance or not get flood insurance and just take the risk, but at least they have been notified,” she said.
Stewart is making the push after what Hurricane Ian did to parts of her district.
“We had a number of complaints and a lot of damage,” she said.
Back in Tarpon Springs, the bill seems like common sense to Davis, and she hopes lawmakers in Tallahassee will get it passed when the new legislative session begins next year.
“They should pass this bill,” she said. “I think that’s a must.”
According to Stewart, the bill has received no public pushback.
“I think that the housing market — the way it is — I don’t think it’s going to discourage people from renting, but they need to know what the liability might be,” the senator said.
