Mold Inspection in Hudson, FL

What happens when you call

You're connected with an independent local company that does mold assessment. Be ready to say whether the home is site-built or a mobile home, whether it flooded and in which storm, and what has already been removed or replaced. If a home was rebuilt after one flood and then flooded again, mention both; the assessor will want to check whether earlier repairs were fully dried before they were closed up.

On site, expect moisture readings at several heights, a look under the home or along the skirting on mobile homes, an air handler and duct check, and the attic. Florida's s. 468.8419 bars the assessor from remediating the structure within 12 months, so the report is an independent scope.

Cost factors

• Home size and type; about 27 percent of Hudson's homes are mobile homes
• How many rooms took water and how high
• Access under the home and into the attic
• Lab samples, which EPA says are usually unnecessary when mold is visible

Angi reports Tampa-area mold inspections typically run $300 to $1,075.

Local conditions

Hudson is an older Gulf waterfront community at about 7 feet of elevation, with residential canals around the Port of Hudson and Hudson Beach. Many canal-side homes, most of them mobile homes, date from the 1980s on. In 2023, Hurricane Idalia's surge put a reported 3 to 5 feet of water into the Sea Ranch community. A year later, Helene's surge left a water line around 42 inches in a canal home off Sea Ranch Drive, a Maryland Avenue home took at least five feet of water, and almost every home in the Gulf Breeze Mobile Home Park flooded, with Pasco County declaring many unsafe. The Florida Department of Health in Pasco County advises discarding soaked items that can't be cleaned and dried within 24 to 48 hours. Repairs are permitted by Pasco County Building Construction Services.

Before the assessor arrives

• List each flood and what was replaced afterward
• Open skirting access panels if it's safe to do so
• Keep the AC off if you suspect it's contaminated
• Photograph water lines before repainting
• Look up your zone on Pasco County's flood-zone lookup