I spent $1.25 million on a 'hurricane-proof' home in Milton's path. I'm not evacuating.

I spent $1.25 million on a 'hurricane-proof' home in Milton's path. I'm not evacuating.

By Dan Latu - Business Insider

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Original article published on October 9, 2024: https://www.businessinsider.com/retiree-bought-hurricane-proof-florida-house-in-hurricane-milton-path-2024-10

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This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with William Fulford, a 76-year-old retired homebuilder who bought what he believes is a "hurricane-proof" home in Hunters Point, an 86-unit community in Cortez, Florida, about an hour southwest of downtown Tampa. The conversation with Fulford has been edited for length and clarity.

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My wife and I lived in Virginia Beach, Virginia. I was born and raised there. We had a lot of hurricanes over the years. Years ago, my sister moved down to Anna Maria Island. We would come down to visit and we just fell in love with the area. I said, "That's it. This is where I'm retiring." One day we were going to Walmart during a stay with my sister. We drove past Hunters Point and my wife said, "I think you sent me a picture of that place once." I saw exactly which house I wanted.

We got in touch with a real-estate agent shortly after and we moved in around Thanksgiving in 2022. I was pretty happy with what I heard: that they were working with some very stringent measures. It's a three-bedroom, 2.5-bath that's 1,600 square feet. We bought it for $1.25 million. We're in a flood zone and we pay around $9,000 a year in flood insurance. We were one of the first houses built, and the next-door neighbor moved in one day before I did. So I was the second person in the neighborhood.

I wanted the strongest hurricane protections

I was a custom homebuilder my entire career. I built huge houses, most of them on the oceanfront or on Chesapeake Bay. We had to meet specifications when we were building. The first thing I did was get the developer, Marshall Gobuty, on the phone, along with the development.

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The first floor, which is the garage, is all solid concrete, all the way to theceiling. The other floors — the living areas — all have 2x6 framing and metal straps that tie down the house to the foundation. All the seams on the plywood siding have been taped up and sealed. Everything becomes one piece.

The house has foam insulation all the way up to the attic, which increases its strength. All our windows and doors are said to be "hurricane-proof." There's traffic probably 100 yards away, but we don't hear a thing. That's how solid it is. We have a solar-power system. So, if the electricity goes out when a hurricane comes, we've still got power to run on. We had our insurance company come through and look at everything when we first moved in. The representative who came didn't say a whole lot, but I was outside when he finished up. He came out and I said, "What do you think?" And he said, "That's a well-built house."

Helene didn't damage my house, but my sister nearby lost two cars

During Helene, we had a six-foot-high storm surge. It came within maybe two feet of my back patio. We're up pretty high. We lost power and the solar power system kicked in. It carried us through the night and the next day. Then, about three quarters into the next day, the power was back to normal.

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We had a few thunderstorms ahead of the worst parts of Helene but not very many. That's what happens most of the time. You don't get very much thunder and lightning with a hurricane. It's just wind and rain.
My sister and brother-in-law, on Anna Maria Island nearby, got three feet of water in their house. They lost their Mercedes and a pick-up truck. We've been cleaning their things out the past week and trying to get them dry.

I'm not leaving during Milton because I believe in this house

Now, you know, here we go again. Forecasters are calling for about a 10-foot storm surge — 10 to 12 feet is what they're saying. But they always exaggerate, you know? To prepare for this one, we went ahead and brought everything we could up to the second floor. We had a lot of Christmas decorations, knickknacks, tables, some pictures, just basic storage things. Propane tanks, too — you don't want propane tanks floating around.

I loaded up my Suburban with all my back patio furniture, the cushions and tables. I drove it about 10 miles away to a shopping center in Bradenton that's higher above sea level, just to make sure that the car wouldn't get any water in it. A friend of mine came and drove us back. They're staying in a hotel in Sarasota because their house was flooded by Helene. A lot of people would say I'm crazy. My daughter and son are back in Virginia Beach and think I'm crazy for wanting to stay here. Now, we may have some problems with flooding, but we're prepared. We got enough food to last for a week. And, like I said, solar power keeps the refrigerator running.

I've always stayed, even when we had hurricanes in Virginia Beach. I like the idea of having my own bed, my own food. If you go to a hotel, everything's closed. You can't get any food. And I like to be here just in case something does happen. If I had a window break or something, I'd be able to put something over it to close it up. But my house is great. Being a homebuilder, I'm quite happy with the way it's built. So I'm not concerned.

I'm staying here.

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Editor's note: Marshall Gobuty, the founder of Pearl Homes and Hunters Point, told Business Insider, "Building to code keeps you out of jail, but building homes better than code keeps homes — and more importantly, people — truly safe. No matter how buildings are made, though, in the event of emergencies we advise that residents should follow all safety protocols and guidance from their local government officials." As of Wednesday night, Hurricane Milton is on track to make landfall close to Hunters Point. It is in a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA), which means it is at high risk of flooding, according to FEMA.

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