Mold Inspection in Dunedin, FL

We flooded in Idalia and again in Helene. Can mold be left over from the first time?

Yes, and it's a common finding. In Baywood Shores, Idalia put about 18 inches of water into at least one home in 2023, and neighbors found the tidal valves meant to keep water out weren't working. A year later Helene's surge came over the seawall, and walls throughout the neighborhood were cut out from the floor up to roughly five feet. If the first repair left damp framing or insulation behind, the second flood landed on top of it. An assessor checks the bottom plates, studs and cavities in the areas that were rebuilt, not just the new drywall face.

Our house was built in the 1970s. What should the inspector focus on?

Dunedin's housing leans older than most of Pinellas: about 61 percent was built before 1980, and the 1970s is the biggest decade. In homes that age, look for an assessor who spends real time on:

• The roof deck and flashing around chimneys, vents and additions
• Original or partly replaced supply plumbing under sinks and behind tubs
• Jalousie or older aluminum windows that let rain past the frame
• Ductwork and the air handler, where decades of condensation collect

The report should tie every patch of growth to a water source. Mold without a named source tends to come back.

How do I know the inspector isn't inflating the problem?

Florida builds that check into the law. Under s. 468.8419, a mold assessor can't remediate a structure it assessed within 12 months, and its fee and conclusions can't depend on the outcome. So the person measuring your problem doesn't profit from making it bigger. Verify the state mold assessor license on DBPR's online licensee search, and ask whether any lab samples are planned and why; EPA says they're usually unnecessary when mold is visible. Angi puts Tampa-area mold inspections at about $300 to $1,075.

One Dunedin note

Dunedin runs its own building department, so permits for rebuilding drywall or post-storm repairs come from the city, not Pinellas County. Renters with leaks that aren't being fixed can use the city's Code Compliance Division, which enforces the International Property Maintenance Code along with city code.