VILLA SAFETY ISSUES

If you live in a villa, there are four areas where you should do research, analyze your options, and make an informed decision. One of the 4 options, flood insurance, also applies to garden apartments in the apartment buildings.

Please check out the photos at the bottom of this page.

WARNING! It happened here @ HP in January of 2014 and it can happen again. Check out the news headline to see what happened in Ft. Lauderdale April 12, 2023.  Per the National Weather Service office in Miami, more than 24 inches of rain drenched the greater Fort Lauderdale metro area. Delray Beach is very close to Ft. Lauderdale, so the flooding on April 12th could have easily struck our community.

  1. FLOOD INSURANCE:

In 2014, Huntington Pointe was the center of a major storm which flooded the entire property. Check out the photos below, which I took the day after the flood, so you can see what HP looked like 24 hours later. In both Boynton Beach and Delray Beach, it rained heavily for approximately 9 consecutive hours and then suddenly stopped. The water level rose up to the garage and entrance doors.  If it had rained another 1-2 hours, every villa and garden apartment would have been flooded.

Home [Condo] insurance does not cover flood damage, only a policy from FEMA provides that kind of coverage. You can get one through your insurance company or directly from FEMA. If you are a Florida resident, the cost of the policy is relatively cheap, and it will hopefully give you some peace of mind. If you are a snowbird, the policy will be more expensive. To reduce the premium, remove the building coverage because that’s owned by the Condo Association.

NOTE: My 2024 FEMA Flood Insurance Premium is $170 because I decided to eliminate building coverage. Why? Because the Condo Association owns the building. However, that leaves my cabinets and tiled floors without coverage.

  1. HURRICANE IMPACT GARAGE DOOR

A huge, possible vulnerability in your home during a hurricane is the garage door. If you have the original garage door with the little glass windows at the top, your villa is potentially vulnerable to powerful hurricane force winds entering the garage, causing massive damage, and possibly even lifting the roof off your home.

You can eliminate that dangerous possibility by purchasing a hurricane impact garage door. Do your own research, then decide if you’re comfortable keeping the original garage door, or if you would feel safer with a hurricane impact door. If you decide on the latter, find a reputable company and ensure their work is inspected and approved by Palm Beach County.

3. Palm Beach County Alarm Permit and ADT

This little article is a warning and advice for HP Villa Owners. Although what I’m going to say is directed specifically at villa owners, it may also apply to apartment dwellers, but I don’t know if that’s true.
It is highly recommended that you obtain an annual Alarm Permit from PBC. The cost of the annual permit is only $25, and you must renew it every year. I just renewed my annual permit online. However, I had a question about my permit renewal, so I called the PBC Alarm Permit office [561-688-3695]. The young lady I spoke with, gave me some excellent advice. That advice is the secondary reason for this little article.
I was told a long time ago, if you don’t have the PBC alarm permit and your alarm goes off, PBC will not respond, or if they do respond, they will hit you with a significant fine. Why take that chance when you can purchase an annual permit for such a small sum of money?
But that’s only Part I of the protocol. Here is Part II, which is critical.
Once you renew your annual PBC permit, you must call our alarm company, ADT, and give them your PBC account/permit number. I was told by PBC, that if ADT doesn’t have the account number in their files, they will not respond to an alarm going off in your unit.
Why take a chance? After you renew your alarm permit with PBC, call ADT and give them your account number for their records.
Please Note: ADT will not talk with you unless you provide them with your ADT password. If you don’t have it, that’s another reason to call ADT.


4. DRYER FILTERS

Many, but not all of our villas, have dryer vents behind the dryer which must periodically be cleaned. I’m not positive, but I believe some models might have dryer filters in the attic. They should be cleaned once every 18-24 months. Find out if you have a dryer filter behind your dryer, or in the attic. If  you do have one which you cannot access, please hire someone to clean it at least once every two years.

JANUARY 2014: HUNTINGTON POINTE – 24 HOURS AFTER a FLOOD

Note: To see an enlarged version of a photo, click on it with your mouse, or if on a tablet, tap the photo.