ST LUCIE COUNTY, Fl. — A new bill in the Florida Legislature could finally provide protection for nearly hundreds of thousands of mobile and manufactured home residents living in structures that don't meet federal safety standards.
The legislation comes more than a year after WPTV's investigation first exposed critical vulnerabilities in Florida's mobile and manufactured housing communities following Hurricane Milton's deadly EF3 tornado that destroyed a Fort Pierce neighborhood in October 2024, killing six people.
Our investigation revealed a startling truth: nearly 700,000 thousand of mobile and manufactured homes across Florida — almost 70% of such homes statewide— can't survive today's storms because they weren't built to current federal safety standards.
"Our lives matter," said Paula Richards, a resident who has been advocating for change.
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Many families living in these homes had no idea they weren't safe until WPTV's reporting brought the issue to light.
"No. Had no idea," Richards said when asked if she knew about the safety concerns.
Our investigation also found the cost to harden these homes is often out of reach for residents on fixed incomes, and a state program designed to retrofit homes for free is plagued by backlogs and insufficient funding, leaving vulnerable residents with few options.
"I can't afford it," said Holly Gnip, a Naples resident we spoke with during our investigation.
Previous legislation blocked despite unanimous House support
Following WPTV's initial investigation, lawmakers drafted House Bill 701, which in part, would help to address the crisis. The legislation would have given local officials flexibility to use $168 million in existing housing funds for rental assistance, emergency repairs and retrofits for manufactured homeowners without raising the state budget.
The bill passed the House unanimously but died in the Senate Rules Committee when Chair Senator Kathleen Passidomo of Collier County refused to bring it to the floor, despite calls from housing groups and her own constituents.
"It's really, really important legislation," said Jim Ayotte of the Florida Manufactured Housing Association. “The Rules Committee Chair said, I don't think I like this legislation. I'm not going to hear it in my committee. So the problem is, when a bill is not heard in his last committee, the bill dies."
WATCH BELOW: WPTV finds fatal flaw in homes destroyed by Hurricane Milton tornadoes
Passidomo's own constituents expressed frustration with the legislative process.
"Very heartbreaking," said Doreen McCabe, a Collier County resident who has been advocating for help to stay in her home safely.
"You're supposed to be working for the people," Gnip, another of Passidomo's constituents, added.
Representative Paula Stark, who sponsored the original bill, was surprised by its failure.
"Yes, actually a little shocked," Stark told Investigative Reporter, Kate Hussey.
New bill offers hope for vulnerable residents
Stark is now introducing essentially the same legislation after witnessing the need among her own constituents.
"We just want a level playing field for residents, so that they have a way to stay in their homes live out their lives," Stark said.
While Stark doesn't know exactly why the previous bill failed, she feels more confident about this attempt.
"We've had some other conversations on the Senate side, and it looks like it'll probably get agenda'd," Stark said.
Passidomo's office did not respond to multiple requests for comment, including phone calls, emails and in-person visits to her Naples office.
However, for residents like Richards, Gnip and McCabe who WPTV has listened to over the past year, the issue isn't about politics — it's about survival.
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"Lives in mobile homes matter," said Richards.
"Is Florida acting with real urgency? Or are we just waiting for the next disaster to force change?" Hussey asked Stark.
"Well, that's probably the case. Unfortunately. If we don't stand up and speak as loud as we need to stand up and speak, you know, the realities are the realities," Stark said.
The bill is now in the House for its first reading. If passed, it would let counties and municipalities opt in, meaning mobile and manufactured home parks would need to ask their local officials to participate.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.