Storm damage demolition · St. Lucie County
Storm damage demolition in St. Lucie County
After a storm the first question is what can be saved, and the answer often depends on a rule rather than on the building. St. Lucie County applies a 50 percent substantial damage rule, and the decision to repair or demolish frequently follows from it.
The county's flood rules treat a building as substantially damaged when restoring it would equal or exceed 50 percent of its market value, and they count improvements cumulatively over the building's life. A building over that line must meet current standards for new construction, including the floor height for its flood zone. Some owners find demolition and a new build is the more direct route.
St. Lucie County has seen this before. Frances and Jeanne came ashore at the south end of Hutchinson Island three weeks apart in September 2004. Nicole eroded the county's beaches in November 2022. On October 9, 2024, a tornado from Hurricane Milton killed six people at Spanish Lakes Country Club Village.
Two things happen before any demolition. Your insurer's adjuster sees or receives a record of the damage, and the permit is filed as disaster-related where it qualifies, since the county gives those applications expedited review. Wet interiors that have grown mold are coordinated with a licensed mold remediator.
We quote storm demolition at any size, from a single collapsed carport to a full building. Send photos and your policy contact.
Order of work
- Photograph and document the damage for you and your insurer.
- Have the structure assessed and set an exclusion zone.
- Confirm the permitting office and file as disaster-related where it qualifies.
- Arrange utility disconnects, the asbestos survey and any mold remediation.
- Demolish in a planned order and sort the debris.
- Clear the scatter, haul debris, and leave the site ready for the rebuild.
Watch points
Where this kind of job runs into trouble, and how we handle it
Removing evidence before the claim is documented
Once debris is gone the adjuster cannot measure it. We photograph and record the damage before work starts and hold the record for you and your insurer.
A damaged structure failing during work
Storm damage hides in connections and roof framing. We treat the structure as unstable until assessed, set an exclusion zone, and bring it down in a planned order.
Mold spreading from wet materials
Wet drywall and insulation grow mold in Florida heat. Where it is present, a licensed mold remediator sets containment and we work inside their plan.
Debris left in drainage and neighboring lots
Wind carries material well beyond the footprint. We clear the scatter as well as the structure and keep debris out of swales and drains.
Outside our scope
Insurance claims, substantial-damage determinations, mold remediation, asbestos abatement and utility disconnects belong to others; we coordinate the work and supply the record. We do not decide whether a building is substantially damaged; the city, town or county with jurisdiction over the parcel does.
Questions
About storm damage demolition
Who decides whether my building is substantially damaged?
The city, town or county that governs your parcel makes that call, using the 50 percent rule. In unincorporated St. Lucie County that is the county; in Port St. Lucie, Fort Pierce or St. Lucie Village, the city or town.
Can demolition start before my insurance adjuster visits?
Only work needed to prevent further damage should happen before the adjuster has seen it or has a full record. Ask your insurer what they need. We photograph the damage before we start in any case.
What will my demolition cost in St. Lucie?
Two houses on the same Port St. Lucie street can quote quite differently, so we post no rates. The price is set after a visit, or from photos and plans that show enough, and it follows the materials, the footprint and height, the asbestos survey, the service disconnects, any septic tank to abandon, how equipment gets in, what sits next door, what stays, and how far the debris travels.
Is any job too small or too large in size for you?
No. If something on the property has to come down, from a screen enclosure or a mobile home to a commercial building on US 1, we will quote it, whole or in part. Just tell us what has to survive.
Is Romco Builders licensed?
Yes. Romco Builders is a licensed Florida general contractor with its office in Fort Lauderdale. We do not do the separately licensed trades ourselves: asbestos abatement, electrical and plumbing disconnects, septic abandonment, mold remediation and tree removal go to licensed firms, and we coordinate their timing.
Start to finish
How a St. Lucie job moves
Reach out
Call or fill in the form. Mention whether the place has a septic tank; it adds a step before the permit.
We look at the property
We come out and trace the services: the FPL drop, the water line, and the septic tank or sewer tap. Then we look at the truck route in and at what sits next door.
A written scope and quote
Each line of the scope says come down, stay, or leave on a truck. Items waiting on the survey result are flagged so nothing is assumed.
Survey, notice, letters, permit
A licensed asbestos survey, the state demolition notice, the utility letters, then the permit from the city, town or county.
Demolition and hauling
The crew works through the scope in order. C&D debris goes to a permitted site such as the county facility on Glades Cut-Off Road, and every ticket is filed.
Final inspection
Last comes the final inspection from the city, town or county. After that the lot is bare and graded, or the shell you wanted kept is still standing.
Storm damage demolition anywhere in St. Lucie, including Port St. Lucie, Tradition, St. Lucie West, Sandpiper Bay, Fort Pierce, Lincoln Park, St. Lucie Village, River Park, Lakewood Park, White City, and every other St. Lucie city.
Other work
More demolition we quote
- Interior demolitionStrip a suite or a house to the studs while the shell and its live systems stay intact.Interior demolition in St. Lucie →
- Selective demolitionTake out an addition, a wing or a bay and keep the building that remains in service.Selective demolition in St. Lucie →
- Commercial demolitionRetail, office and industrial buildings taken down, with approvals run in the right order.Commercial demolition in St. Lucie →
- House demolitionA full teardown of a single-family house, from utility letters to a graded lot.House demolition in St. Lucie →
- Structural demolitionFrames, walls and floors taken down in order, including buildings under unsafe orders.Structural demolition in St. Lucie →
- Concrete removalSlabs, driveways, footings and foundations broken out, hauled and recycled.Concrete removal in St. Lucie →
- Pool removalBreak out the top and backfill, or lift the whole shell, with the drainage handled.Pool removal in St. Lucie →
- Mobile home demolitionSingle and double wides removed with chassis, tie-downs, add-ons and debris cleared.Mobile home demolition in St. Lucie →
- Site clearingLots cleared of old structures, slabs and debris, with protected trees left in place.Site clearing in St. Lucie →
- Asbestos coordinationLicensed survey, FDEP notice and licensed abatement scheduled before demolition.Asbestos coordination in St. Lucie →
- Accessory structure demolitionSheds, detached garages, carports and screen enclosures removed under permit.Accessory structure demolition in St. Lucie →
- Something else?If your job is missing from the list, call anyway. We price odd jobs too.Call (772) 310-3298 →
Every type and size, all over St. Lucie County
Tell us what has to come down, and we will quote it.
Romco Builders is a licensed Florida general contractor, headquartered in Fort Lauderdale. A kitchen wall in Tradition and a strip center on US 1 are quoted the same way: on paper, line by line.