📞 (813) 730-8940
📞 (813) 730-8940
Lithia sits directly on the Alafia River, which reached its highest recorded flooding level since 1933 following Hurricane Milton in October 2024, rising to 23 feet, a full 4 feet higher than the designated major flooding threshold, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Longtime resident Bob Haynes, 82, who has lived close to the Alafia River for 23 years with his wife Shirley, described the harrowing moment they realized the severity of this event, after Milton left them without power and internet for almost two days, the last online flood advisory they'd seen showed the river rising to 19 feet, not high enough to reach their backyard. Something told them to go outside and check around 8:30 PM that Thursday. We walked into the backyard, realized the river was coming, Haynes said, in a community where this near-record event prompted a dawn rescue by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. We are a Florida state-licensed mold remediation team.
Lithia's position directly on the Alafia River placed this Hillsborough County community at the center of a flood event that specifically broke a record dating back over 90 years. Following Hurricane Milton in October 2024, the Alafia River rose to 23 feet, a full 4 feet above the designated major flooding threshold, and according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the highest recorded mark since 1933, a benchmark that had stood for more than nine decades before this single storm event.
The human experience of this historic flooding was captured through the firsthand account of longtime resident Bob Haynes, 82, who has lived close to the Alafia River for 23 years alongside his wife Shirley. Despite their extensive experience watching for flooding after powerful storms, Milton's aftermath nearly caught them by surprise, the storm left them without power and internet for almost two days, and the last online flood advisory they had managed to see before losing connectivity showed the river rising to only 19 feet, a level not high enough to threaten their backyard. Something told them to check anyway, around 8:30 PM that Thursday, they walked into the backyard and realized the river was coming, discovering in person that the actual river level was significantly exceeding the last forecast they had access to.
This near-record event required emergency response, with a dawn rescue conducted by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office for residents caught by the rapidly rising water. Haynes' own closing words after the experience carried particular weight, asking others to say a prayer for this community here because they've lost everything. For Lithia homeowners along the Alafia River, this documented combination of a 90-plus-year flood record being broken and the genuine danger of relying on outdated flood forecasts during a power and internet outage means professional mold inspection following this historic event is an essential consideration for any affected property.
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Most jobs range from $2,800 to $9,000. Alafia River corridor properties affected by this documented highest-since-1933 flood record often fall in the $4,500 to $9,000 range given the historic severity of this specific event. Free on-site inspection and written estimate before any work begins.
This matches the documented experience of longtime residents Bob and Shirley Haynes, who specifically saw an online flood advisory showing the river rising to only 19 feet, a level that wouldn't have reached their property, before power and internet outages cut off their access to updated forecasts. The actual river level ultimately reached 23 feet, 4 feet higher than that last available forecast. This illustrates that flood forecasts can become outdated quickly during a fast-moving event, especially when communication infrastructure fails, making physical verification of conditions, like checking your own property directly, an important supplement to relying solely on the last forecast you saw.
A flood record spanning more than 90 years being broken in a single event indicates this was a genuinely historic occurrence for the Alafia River system, exceeding everything observed since record-keeping began in 1933. This establishes the new ceiling for understanding this river's documented flood potential, properties that experienced this 23-foot level now have a clear historical benchmark for assessing future risk, since this event demonstrates the river's actual maximum observed capacity exceeds what nine decades of prior data had shown.
Serving all of Lithia including the Alafia River area, Lithia Springs area, downtown, and all of Hillsborough County. Same-day appointments available. 24/7 emergency response.