What’s behind the secret history of home flooding in Florida? See 5 takeaways

The hidden flood history of homes in Florida poses significant challenges for homeowners and buyers, as illustrated by Samantha Fischetti’s experience with repeated flooding in her Hollywood home. Despite recent legislative efforts to improve flood disclosure, many buyers remain unaware of the risks due to inadequate tracking and disclosure practices.

FULL STORY: How secret flood histories cost Florida home buyers and mask state’s risk

Here are the highlights:

• Fischetti discovered her home’s flood history only after purchasing it, with no prior warning from real estate agents or sellers, leading to costly repairs and a challenging resale process.
• The Federal Emergency Management Agency holds detailed flood data but keeps it confidential, leaving potential buyers in the dark about a property’s flood risk.
• Florida’s new law requires sellers to disclose past flooding, but enforcement relies on lawsuits, which are often costly and difficult to win.
• Real estate and homebuilding industries have historically resisted broad disclosure mandates, but recent flooding events have prompted a shift toward supporting more transparency.
• The lack of comprehensive flood data and disclosure leaves many homeowners vulnerable to financial losses, as seen in cases like Ashley Bowman’s, where undisclosed flood history led to significant personal and financial turmoil.

The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in the Miami Herald newsroom. The full story in the link at top was reported, written and edited entirely by Miami Herald journalists.

This story was originally published June 8, 2025 at 5:00 AM.