We're waiting for answers': Will FEMA's 50% rule cost you your house?

News Channel 8's Linny Supal joins us. She's in South Tampa tonight. There's really a lot of confusion about this FEMA 50% rule, Linny. Good evening, Stacey and Josh. Yeah, many residents in this South Tampa neighborhood say their hands are tied and all of their recovery projects are on hold. They are waiting to see how the damage to their home measures up with the value of their property. There's a lot of confusion centered around a federal rule because it's up to local building officials to decide when it applies. And if it does, it will cost you. So now we're just down to the studs and what do we do? Tonight, Candace, Blackburn's list of questions is growing. Four full weeks of Helene recovery is on hold. She's waiting for answers about FEMA's 50% rule. At what point do we have to tear our house down because it's going to cost too much to get it back to where it was? A home that was built prior to the current code and was damaged more than 50% is pretty much well subject to the 50% rule. Lisa Miller is Florida's former deputy insurance commissioner and a disaster recovery insurance advisor. She says FEMA's 50% rule is triggered when the cost of repairs exceeds 50% of a home's market value. You have to rebuild to a higher standard and that typically means tearing down the home or putting it up on stilts. Not in all cases, but in most cases. Miller says the conversation begins at the county level. Homeowners will receive a letter determining if there's substantial damage to the property. But the possibility of rebuilding comes with difficult decisions. I've been living here for 17 years. My property taxes are about $9,000 and if I knock it down, they're going to be $22,000 a year. So right now we just found out from Hillsborough County officials that more than 12,000 properties were damaged in Hurricane Milton. That number expected to be even higher when the properties are factored in from Haleen. As for that letter, if you do get that notice in the mail, read it carefully. It'll give you a timeline as to when you can respond. And that's when you'll be able to share your plan to rebuild according to code. Reporting live in Tampa, Lenny Supal, 8, on your side.