THIS WEEKEND GULF BREEZE OPTIMIST 39TH ANNUAL FISHING RODEO Over $6000 In Prizes With A Grand Prize Of $1000 Cash! Classic Trendy& 1149 Gulf Breeze Pkwy Coastal Gulf Breeze, FL 32561 Hrs: Mon-Fri 9-6, Sat 10-6, Sun 12-5 www.jmillersfurniture.com May 15, 2014 YOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER 75¢ • • • • Flood costs just beginning• • • • • Jaw-dropping flood premiums could• be on their way • • homes or businesses out of their own Under the Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012, You Could Save More than BY LISA NEWELL thousands of dollars per year in lood $90,000 over 10 Years if You Build 3 Feet above Base Flood Elevation* Gulf Breeze News pockets or with loans and grants from premiums. [email protected] the Federal Emergency Management If a home or business is four feet PREMIUM AT 4 FEET BELOW PREMIUM AT PREMIUM AT 3 FEET ABOVE Association. below the base lood elevation or BASE FLOOD ELEVATION BASE FLOOD ELEVATION BASE FLOOD ELEVATION The rains came. The waters rose. But before rebuilding, homeowners BFE, lood insurance premiums are $9,500/year $1,410/year $427/year Some homeowners lost carpets, furni- should be aware of the Biggert-Waters estimated to be a whopping $9,500 $95,000/10 years $14,100/10 years $4,270/10 years ture, appliances and some lost almost Act of 2012 that may require them to per year for a structure valued at everything they had. elevate their structures or pay jaw- $250,000. That equates to $95,000 The piles of their once-precious be- dropping lood premiums. in lood premiums over a 10-year pe- longings towered over sidewalks and In March of this year, President riod. If a similar home is at BFE, rates right of ways, and workers began cut- Barack Obama made reforms to the are approximately $1,410 per year or BFE BFE BFE ting out sheetrock, suctioning water act but many of the act’s provisions $14,100 over 10 years. However, if a and drying the studs, all in an effort remain. home is three feet above BFE, rates to get back to normal after the lood of Not every home is the same and are reduced to $427 per year or $4,270 April 28-29. lood zones vary. However, the com- over 10 years. Many of those affected did not have mon theme is that reducing your risk *$250,000 building coverage only (does not include contents), AE (high to moderate risk) zone, single-family, one-story structure lood insurance and must repair their without a basement at: 4 feet below Base Flood Elevation (BFE); at BFE; and at 3 feet above BFE. (Rating per FEMA lood insurance of looding will save homeowners See Increase Page 2A » manual, October 1, 2012). The illustration above is based on a standard National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) deductible. Residents wait for answers Standing water still visible in many neighborhoods BY LIESEL SCHMIDT Gulf Breeze News [email protected] To say that Santa Rosa County was hit hard by the storms that closed out April would be an understatement. Devastated would be a more apt a word; and even though two weeks have passed, there are still pockets of the county whose saturation point remains dangerously high. All of which make residents understandably leery of any storm clouds, on high-alert for any reports of incoming rain. After all, where would the water go, when the drain- age system is already at full capacity, and not enough time has passed to repair the damage that’s already been done? Such were the concerns posed by residents of Gulf Breeze and the surrounding areas of Santa Rosa and Es- cambia counties as the sunny days that inally graced the panhandle faded under foreboding storm alerts last week- Picking up the pieces end. One particular area of concern was The Ranchettes subdivision, where streets remained underwater even af- A resident walks down Dracena Way, one of the hardest hit areas hit by the April 28 rain storm in Gulf Breeze. After the ter a full week had water receded, residents piled up all of their damaged belongings to be picked up by garbage trucks. (Photo by Mathew Pellegrino) gone by. “Many See Lynchard Page 2A » Mailing Statement Calendar ..........2A Lifestyles ..........1B FRI 05/16 SAT 05/17 SUN 05/18 C B on Opinion Page END PARTLY CLOUDY SUNNY MOSTLY SUNNY Classiieds . 7 Movie Listings .....2 WEEK Crime Report ......2A Schools............8A THREE SECTIONS, 20 PAGES hi 79/lo 65 hi 81/lo 67 hi 81/lo 68 Crossword Puzzle...3B Sports ..........1-7C Weather-plus VOL. 13, NO. 20 rain: 20% rain: 0% rain: 0% Arrests and DUIs ...2A City ..............3A MAY 15, 2014 Dry-out • Sheetrock • InSulatIon PaIntIng • electrIcal home! 850.725.SaVe (7283) www.floridafloodrepair.com your Show us this ad after you receive your CGC 1521234 STEWART & SHOMAN LICENSED quote and save $200 If we also do your CONSTRUCTION, LLC GENERAL dry out save $500. We beat all licensed directly to Gulf Breeze, Florida contractor’s quotes for a complete job CONTRACTOR or we will pay you $100. Call 850-932-8986 today Enjoy your community paper mailed GULF BREEZE NEWS (850) 932-8986 www.gulfbreezenews.com 2A May 15, 2014 GULF BREEZE NEWS Lynchard: We will look for solutions » Continued from Page 1A ment regulations that are now required,” adds County Engi- of those subdivisions are older, neer Roger Blaylock. “That area Calendar of Meetings built before there were good has essentially become a bowl, storm drainage systems in place; a topographical basin, where and we’re working on getting the water collects,” he explains THURSDAY, MAY 15 them retroitted,” explains San- further. “The unprecedented GBA Chamber Business After Hours, ta Rosa County Commissioner amount of rain that fell even 5:30 p.m. - 7 p.m., K9 Splash-N-Dash Lane Lynchard. “There are still before the loods meant that the Flood Mitigation Assistance Workshop, a great number that we haven’t soil was already saturated; and 6 p.m., SRC Administrative Center, Board Room been able to address yet, but all that, combined with the lack of of the ones we’ve updated and topography to drain the water, retroitted since last year have caused the water to stand with- MONDAY, MAY 19 been handling drainage quite out anywhere to run off.” Commissioner Committee, 9 a.m., SRC successfully,” he continues. Lynchard’s initial post-storm Administrative Center, Board Room Nevertheless, one thing remains ride through the area met with GAB Chamber Executive Board Mtg, glaringly obvious: “With all of challenges, as the depth of the 4 p.m. - 5 p.m., GBA Chamber this increased rain activity, even water made the roads through City Council Meeting, 6:30 p.m., Gulf Breeze those systems have been over- the older subdivision impass- City Hall, Council Chambers whelmed. The county engineer able. “The county has been try- has been working with us, try- ing to monitor the situation as WEDNESDAY, MAY 21 ing to come up with some solu- best as we can,” Lynchard says. Tourist Development Council, 3 p.m., tions that will alleviate this kind “Two days after the storm, we SRC Chamber of Commerce of thing in the future.” had the National Guard avail- Even the best-laid plans, how- able, because some of the peo- ever, aren’t always fool-proof. ple over there were not able to “You can’t solve problems on get in and out of The Ranch- the scale of what happened,” ettes subdivision, and we had Lynchard says. “The amount of the high-wheeled vehicles that File Photo rain that we received was such were available to assist anyone that there’s not a retention pond that was unable to get in and Back in April, a rainstorm devastated several homes in the Ranchettes while the most recent flood caused more flooding big enough to hold all of the out.” Help came from more in the subdivision. water, and a lot of what we’re local sources, as well: “The dealing with is the sheer magni- ire department made rounds to come up with some long term been removed during the pro- tude of the rainfall. It was such through some of the heaviest solutions for that,” Lychard cess of repairs.” an unusual event, and it fell on hit areas that were inaccessible, says, on a more hopeful note. Hopefully, things will have already saturated ground,” he trying to make sure that people “FEMA is offering individual a chance to improve before observes. “It’s taking time for had their basic needs taken care assistance, so any affected hom- any more damage is done to the waters recede, and we’re of and getting them in or out eowners are encouraged to call the area, but that remains to be looking at The Ranchettes as of the subdivision,” Lynchard and apply. At the last Commis- seen. “The county is in remedi- one of the areas that we know says. Unfortunately, with condi- sioners’ meeting, we discussed al mode now,” Lynchard says. has historically had looding is- tions being as dire as they were, debris removal, coming around As efforts continue, the drying Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office Report sues.” even pumping the water from to the affected neighborhoods streets are a reassuring sight. Information provided by the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office. “The Ranchettes and subdi- the streets was not an option. to assist people with hauling off But watchful eyes keep their visions like it were constructed “There was simply no place to things like damaged sheetrock, focus on the skies, hoping that years ago, preceding any of the pump more water,” he says.