By 3 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 2, 2026, the water inside Charlene Thomas's home on Sunswept Road in Southeast Palm Bay stood 35 inches deep. Turkey Creek had overflowed. "Within an hour, we had water all inside the house, and it went to 35 inches by 3 in the afternoon," she told Spectrum News 13. The Thomases' house was one of at least 250 that Brevard County Communications Director Don Walker estimates were damaged, according to WUSF. For most of those homeowners, the next question is flood cleanup cost: what drying out a house should cost, and how to tell a fair bid from an inflated one.
What happened in south Brevard
Per WUSF, torrential rain was falling around 2:30 a.m. Monday as a storm system stalled over the county, and emergency managers became aware of the problem around 3 a.m. Some areas south of U.S. 192 got "more than 20 inches of rain in less than 24 hours," WUSF reported. WSVN reported that "Palm Bay officials said the city experienced 20 inches of rain in 14 hours." Insurance Journal put the totals at "almost 24 inches of rain at Malabar in a 24-hour period," "almost 20 inches at Palm Bay" and "13 inches in and around Melbourne," and said the National Weather Service called it a "1-in-1,000-year" event.
Walker called it a "once-in-1,000-year flood" and told WUSF that, unlike with hurricanes, "there's no preparation phase." The county took about 2,000 calls from residents. Sheriff Wayne Ivey reported more than 200 high-water rescues as of Tuesday (WUSF). Insurance Journal counted "some 160 rescues" by deputies and state Fish and Wildlife officers. Two people died in Palm Bay, according to ClickOrlando and WSVN.
Gov. DeSantis declared a state of emergency for Brevard, DeSoto, Hardee, Highlands, Indian River, Martin and St. Lucie counties (Insurance Journal). Palm Bay Mayor Rob Medina told ClickOrlando, "We've already gotten some emergency funding that we're going to release from our own budget."
Why the price matters more than usual this time
A lot of the flooded homes aren't in a designated flood zone. Florida Today reported that many residents had no flood insurance for that reason, and that "Coverage by their homeowners insurance won't be an option." Neighbors estimated "tens of thousands of dollars of damage" per home.
That fits the statewide picture. Citing an AM Best bulletin, Insurance Journal reported that "Just 16% of Florida households are covered by flood insurance." Those who do have NFIP coverage are capped at $250,000 per residence, while the median Florida home value is about $400,000. So most Palm Bay owners are either paying out of pocket or stretching a capped policy, and every line on the bid counts.
The clock is your biggest cost lever
The EPA says, "It is important to dry water-damaged areas and items within 24-48 hours to prevent mold growth." You can't control how high the water got, but you have some control over how fast drying starts. Once a job turns into mold remediation, the price range jumps (see below).
The EPA treats mold covering more than about 10 square feet, or heavy water damage, as a bigger job, and says sewage or other contaminated water calls for a professional experienced with that kind of damage. If either describes your house, plan on hiring a crew rather than doing it yourself.
A fair price in Palm Bay: the one-room benchmark
The best local number available comes from Homeyou, which prices the same standardized 215-square-foot water damage restoration job in each city. For Palm Bay (updated Nov. 1, 2026):
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Typical total: $2,134-$2,254, averaging about $11 per sq ft
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Labor: 53.4 hours, $1,466-$1,531
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Materials (200 sq ft): $668-$724
Treat this as one room-sized area, not a whole-house price. A home with water in every room, or water several feet up the walls, will cost a lot more. Some Palm Bay residents reported as much as five feet of water inside (Insurance Journal), which means far more drywall, insulation and trim to remove than a standard job assumes. The per-foot figure is still a useful check: if a bid for a similar-sized room comes in at double or triple $11 per square foot, ask what's driving it.
Palm Bay compared with Melbourne, Orlando and Tampa
Homeyou's same 215 sq ft job in nearby cities:
| City | Typical range | Per sq ft | Data updated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Melbourne | $1,996-$2,109 | $10-$11 | Sep. 29, 2026 |
| Palm Bay | $2,134-$2,254 | About $11 | Nov. 1, 2026 |
| Tampa | $2,223-$2,347 | $11-$12 | Nov. 1, 2026 |
| Orlando | $2,236-$2,361 | $11-$12 | Sep. 3, 2026 |
Palm Bay comes in roughly $100 below Orlando and Tampa for the same work, and Melbourne is the lowest of the four. The update dates differ, and all of these numbers predate the flood. They show what local crews were charging before demand spiked, which is the comparison that matters for price gouging (more on that below).
Line by line: national prices to check a bid against
Fixr's national guide (updated Jan. 31, 2025) says water damage restoration typically runs $1,200 to $5,000, with a national average of $3,000. Its line items:
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Water extraction: $3.75-$4.25 per sq ft for clean water, $4.10-$6.50 for gray water and $7-$7.50 for black water
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Drywall repair: $1.50-$3 per sq ft on average
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Emergency call-out fee: $50-$200
From Fixr's mold guide (updated Aug. 29, 2025):
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Mold remediation: $1,500-$9,000, national average $3,500, or $10-$30 per sq ft
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Mold in walls: $1,000-$12,000
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Standalone mold inspection: $450-$800
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Inspection plus remediation: $1,950-$5,800 on average
What pushes the bill up
Dirty water. Extraction for black water costs nearly twice as much per square foot as clean water. Some Palm Bay homes took on sewage. "When the septic tank burst and it just came into the house, it was awful," resident Janet Shakes told Florida Today. If the bid lists a water category, ask the crew why they chose it and have them show you the per-foot rate for it.
Water depth. Thirty-five inches or five feet of water means cutting drywall high and replacing a lot of it, at $1.50-$3 per sq ft for the repair alone.
Waiting. Missing the EPA's 24-48 hour window can add a mold job that runs into the thousands.
Timing and extras. After-hours emergency fees ($50-$200) and a separate mold inspection ($450-$800) are legitimate charges, but they should show up as separate lines on the bid, not get folded into a lump sum.
How to vet the crew
Florida's licensing rules for mold work catch a lot of homeowners off guard. Per the Florida DBPR:
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Only individuals are licensed. "The Department does not license mold assessment or mold remediation businesses." Ask for the name and license number of the person doing the remediation, not just the company name, and look it up.
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Remediators must carry general liability insurance of "not less than $1,000,000." Ask for the certificate.
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Under s. 468.8419, F.S., a remediator can't assess a structure it remediated in the last 12 months, and an assessor can't remediate a structure it assessed within 12 months. If the same outfit offers to test your house, then fix it, then clear it, walk away. Hire a separate assessor to check the work.
Price gouging red flags
Brevard is under a declared state of emergency, so Florida's price-gouging law, s. 501.160, covers essential recovery services. A price is considered prima facie unconscionable if it shows a "gross disparity" from the seller's average price "during the 30 days immediately prior to a declaration of a state of emergency," or if it grossly exceeds the average in the trade area. Increases tied to the contractor's own added costs or to market trends don't count.
In practice, ask a company what it charged per square foot in October. Then compare its bid to the pre-flood Homeyou figures above. A small bump for overtime crews and equipment demand can be legitimate. A rate that's several times the local average deserves a hard question and a second bid.
Before you sign
Call a crew while you're still inside the 24-48 hour drying window. Get at least two itemized bids that split out extraction, demolition, drywall, any mold work and emergency fees. Check each line against the per-square-foot ranges above. Confirm the remediator's individual license and $1 million liability coverage. Then hire a separate licensed assessor to sign off when the walls are dry.
Related reading
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Should You Pull a Roof Permit Before Florida's Code Changes on New Year's Eve?
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Ceiling Leak? What to Do in the First 48 Hours, Room by Room
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The Flood Restoration Timeline Facing Hurricane, Utah Homeowners Again
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What to Do in the First Three Days After Floodwater Gets Inside
Sources
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Insurance Journal: State of Emergency Declared After Flooding, Two Deaths on Florida's East Coast
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ClickOrlando / WKMG: Flooding leaves 2 dead, massive sinkholes and damaged homes in Palm Bay
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Spectrum News 13: Historic flooding leaves extensive damage behind in Brevard County
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Spectrum News 13: Heavy rain floods roads, strands drivers and damages homes across Brevard County
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Florida Today via Yahoo: Neighbors team to tackle damage as Palm Bay faces flood aftermath
This article contains AI-assisted content and has been reviewed by our editorial team.
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