PORT ORANGE, Fla. — Eight years ago, Jarrod Tuttle and Camille Mazal bought their forever home on the water. They have lived through four hurricanes, each one flooding their home.
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“It just started kind of seeping in, and it came in more there and then around the fireplace,” Tuttle said. “I just had to look at her. I just had to say ‘this is a sinking ship.’”
They knew living on the water is a risk, but they said the neighborhood had not flooded in decades before Hurricane Irma came along.
The couple said they had an insurance with a flood policy, but it has not done them much good because they are still fighting to get paid out what they are owed.
Adjusters estimate it would costless than $100,000 to fix the 2,400-square-foot home, but the couple said a contractor quoted them twice that amount for repairs.
“We are just asking for what’s right, and just what is on our policy,” Tuttle said. “It’s simple.”
The city of Port Orange has determined that the home no longer meets the local flood codes.
That means the couple may not be able to get permits to fix the home.
They said they might have to raise it or rebuild it to be six feet above sea level. But they cannot do anything until the money comes in.
Channel 9 has reached out to the couple’s insurance company but have not yet heard back.
Tuttle and Mazal said they hope that they can get their claim settled, because rebuilding could take at least another year.
They said that they want to move their children out of the RV and back into their home so they need not spend another holiday season living in the front yard.
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“It’s maddening,” Mazal said. “You don’t know what else to do. We have done everything right as homeowners. We have been responsible. We’ve paid.”
The couple said they did receive some money for cleaning up as well as several thousand dollars from FEMA, but they had to use that money to buy the RV.
The city of Port Orange has sent out notices to them and others that they could face fines if construction does not get underway.
But the city told Channel 9 that they will work with them before that happens.
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