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Tiki Village Residents Could Get Hurricane-proofing Aid

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By Carl  Orth | The Suncoast News

Published: October 20, 2007

HOLIDAY, Fla. - HOLIDAY, Fla. - Well, blow me down!

That might have been the first reaction of the president of a Tiki Village residents' association when he heard the state would resume a program soon to reinforce older mobile homes against hurricane winds.

"That's good news," said Leon Roy Paulin, president of the residents group in the mobile home park and condo subdivision west of U.S. 19 and south of Gulf Trace Boulevard.

Money for the upgrades had run out in June, leaving 114 out of some 170 units at Tiki Village unfinished.

Many mobile homes in the community had been damaged during a series of storms in fall 2004, Paulin recalled.

About $15 million was put back into the revised state budget ready for a vote late last week by state lawmakers during the special session of the Legislature, the office of state Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, informed the residents.

The budget will need the signature of Gov. Charlie Crist to become official. Crist does have line-item veto power and could cross out the hurricane-proofing appropriation.

When news of renewed funding leaked out, Tiki Village residents were still compiling a DVD program about the improvements they deem critical, Paulin said.

The video shows reinforced homes alongside homes still vulnerable to strong winds, Paulin said.

Residents plan to mail copies of the DVD to the governor and media to underscore the importance of reinforcing homes.

Fasano had said he "would go out of his way" to get the hurricane-proofing program back on track, Paulin recalled.

Back in June, however, Paulin and Fasano seemed resigned to the likelihood nothing could be done until summer 2008 and the state's fiscal 2009 budget cycle.

So, it was a pleasant surprise for residents when the special session, originally called to address cuts in state spending in response to a drop in tax revenue, created an opportunity to restore funding.

"Tiki Village is at the top of the list," Giordano said about priorities when hurricane-proofing resumes.

Some 10 crews had been working in this community in June.

Tie-downs of homes had been the first priority, followed by reinforcing porches and carports. If money is left over from $3,500 per unit, storm shutters might be installed.

The residents left out were upset, Paulin said in June. "They're not very happy."

In response, Tiki Village residents launched a letter-writing campaign over the summer to convince Gov. Charlie Crist to restore the $15 million for the Manufactured Housing and Mobile Home Mitigation and Enhancement Program.

Dozens of copies of form letters from the Federation of Manufactured Home Owners of Florida Web site, www.fmo.org, had been passed around the Tiki Village neighborhood.

Hurricanes would do more damage, Paulin fears, because natural barriers along the southwestern Pasco coastline have been removed.

Many large trees were removed during construction in recent years of the Gulf Trace Boulevard extension along the northern border of the mobile home park.

A school being built on Gulf Trace immediately north of the park means even more trees have been taken down.

"We lost quite a bit here in the last couple years," Paulin had reflected about the impact of development.

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