Flood protection guides for Tampa Bay homeowners.

Where to start, depending on what you know

Most people arrive here at one of three stages, and reading in the right order saves a lot of time.

If you do not yet know your risk, start with FEMA flood zones in Pinellas, explained — it tells you what your zone letter means and how to find the base flood elevation your protection height should be measured against. Then storm surge versus rain flooding, because they are different threats needing different heights and the 2024 season demonstrated both within three weeks.

If you know you are exposed and are pricing options, go to what flood barriers cost in Florida for real installed ranges, then the ranked roundup of barrier types, which is honest about where competitors are the better buy. The head-to-head comparisons go deeper on any single option.

If a storm is in the Gulf right now, the prep checklist is the practical one, and what to do after a flood covers the claim and drying-out sequence people usually get wrong under pressure.

How these are written

Everything here is written by Madeline Scribner, who founded the company after her own properties flooded, and reviewed against published sources rather than industry received wisdom. Statistics carry a citation to FEMA, NOAA, or the county, listed at the bottom of each page with the date checked. Where a number could not be verified, the page says so instead of estimating.

Read times are calculated from the actual text, not typed by hand, and the “updated” date changes only when the content does. If you spot something stale or wrong, tell us — that happens, and we would rather fix it than defend it.