Martin County is prepared to buy 10 of the 13 most flood-prone homes in Hobe Heights
Hobe Heights, Fl (treasurecoast.coom) -A year after Hobe Heights homes were flooded by about 30 inches of rain, leaving residents displaced, Martin County is prepared to buy 10 of the 13 most flood-prone homes as soon as next month.
Nearly $4 million from the state and federal governments will pay for the acquisitions.
The money — from the state Division of Emergency Management and the Federal Emergency Management Agency — will reimburse the county for purchase of the non-historical homes, said Jim Gorton, county public-works director.
Appraisals are to begin in early June after the county chooses a real estate appraisal company, which should happen at the May 25 County Commission meeting.
Hobe Heights residents have awaited help since Memorial Day weekend, when 2½ feet of rain began to overwhelm the neighborhood over 12 days. At least 32 homes were damaged and at least 19 families were displaced because of the neighborhood’s failed infrastructure — a sunken basin with no drainage for rainwater.
Now, however, the groundwater levels are the lowest they’ve been since July, Gorton said, down 7.9 inches over the past two months. The design and permitting phase of a drainage project is in the works to determine the best options for moving water away.
For each homeowner who agrees to sell to the county, the home and its septic field will be removed, and the property will be turned into conservation land to allow water flow. Homeowners can choose not to sell, but that would leave them at “a very high risk of flooding again in the future,” Gorton said.
The county will get $3 million to buy the 10 non-historical homes and almost $900,000 for the three historical homes, Gorton said.
For Hobe Heights resident Ariana Crockett, the past year of waiting for help has been exhausting, with many sleepless nights. Her life has been on pause since last summer, Crockett said, yet she’s grateful the acquisition project is moving forward.
