Hurricane water damage help in Key Biscayne, 33149
Key Biscayne sits in Evacuation Zone A at the end of a single causeway, so after a hurricane the water damage inside homes and condos often waits until owners are allowed back across.
When you get back to the island, the first look matters: wet floors near sliders, stains on ceilings, swollen baseboards. Our crews come over the Rickenbacker Causeway from the Brickell office as soon as access opens, extract the water and set up drying before mold takes hold. Speed counts here, since the EPA advises drying wet materials within 24 to 48 hours.
At a glance
- Area
- Key Biscayne
- From our office
- 1428 Brickell Ave, Floor 3
- Phones
- Answered 24/7
- Most calls
- Storm & Hurricane Water Damage
Yes, we cover all of Key Biscayne, from the oceanfront condo buildings to the single-family streets of the village. Most of our island calls involve hurricane and storm water, window leaks, and mold that grows while a home sits closed. Call (786) 947-0034 at any hour and you will reach a person who can dispatch a crew.
Island homes: 1950s houses and oceanfront condos
Many single-family homes on the island descend from the Mackle brothers' 1950s subdivision, and plenty have been expanded or rebuilt since. Alongside them stand mid-rise and high-rise condominiums facing the ocean. Each type takes on storm water differently, so we plan the job around the building in front of us.
Just over a quarter of the village's housing units were vacant in 2020, while two in three are owner-occupied. Some homes are watched daily and others sit closed for long stretches, and the closed ones are where a small leak turns into a mold job.
Where storm water gets in on Key Biscayne
Hurricane winds drive rain sideways through sliding doors, window frames and roof edges. During Irma in 2017, gusts on the island peaked at 99 mph, the kind of pressure that forces water past seals that hold up fine in an ordinary summer storm.
Heavy rain alone can do it too. A November 2023 storm dropped up to seven inches here, flooding streets and parks, and low lots and ground-floor units are the first to feel that kind of water.
Getting a crew onto the island
The Rickenbacker Causeway is the only road in, so we time arrivals around when the island reopens after a storm and around building loading hours. For condos, we contact management about elevator reservations and parking before the truck crosses.
In single-family homes, we start with the source, then move to extraction, flood cuts where drywall has wicked up water, and air movers with dehumidifiers. If rising floodwater came in from outside, we treat it as Category 3 and remove the porous materials it touched.
Nearby places we also reach from Brickell
The same causeway route brings us to Virginia Key, and our office sits on the mainland in Brickell. We also work in Coconut Grove and can arrange visits for Fisher Island owners.
If your island home and a mainland condo were both hit by the same storm, one call can cover both properties. We schedule them so drying starts at the wettest one first.
Where water and mold start in Key Biscayne
Evacuation Zone A
Key Biscayne is in Zone A, usually among the first areas told to leave before a hurricane. Homes can sit closed and wet for days before owners return.
Andrew's eyewall
In 1992 Hurricane Andrew's eyewall passed over Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, and some homes and businesses on the island flooded.
Rising high tides
A 2017 study found the village could be partly flooded at high tide by 2045, and voters approved a $100 million resilience bond in November 2020.
One road in
The 4-mile Rickenbacker Causeway through Virginia Key, opened in 1947, is the only road to the island, so post-storm access sets the timing of every job.
Services we run most in Key Biscayne
Storm & Hurricane Water Damage
Wind-driven rain, surge and roof breaches after tropical weather.
See the serviceEmergency Tarping & Board-Up
Roof tarps and window boards to stop more water getting in after a storm.
See the serviceWindow Leak Water Damage
Rain pushed through window and slider frames into walls and floors.
See the serviceFlood Damage Cleanup
Rising water and street flooding cleaned out, with flood cuts where needed.
See the serviceCondo Water Damage
Unit-to-unit leaks in high-rises, worked alongside building management.
See the serviceMold Removal
Containment, removal and cleaning of mold, with the moisture source fixed.
See the serviceKey Biscayne: questions we hear
How soon can you get to Key Biscayne after a hurricane?
As soon as the causeway and the island are open to residents and it is safe to work. Call us before you cross back, and we can line up a crew for the day you return. We do not promise a fixed arrival time, because storm access changes hour by hour.
My Key Biscayne condo flooded through the balcony door. Is that on the association or on me?
It depends on your condo documents and the cause. Florida law generally puts the building as originally installed on the association and interior finishes and contents on the unit owner, and your unit owner policy must carry at least $2,000 of loss assessment coverage. Our photos and moisture logs help your adjuster and your association sort out who handles what.
Is there a deadline for a hurricane claim on my Key Biscayne home?
Under Florida law, notice of a new residential property claim must reach your insurer within one year of the date of loss, and for a hurricane that date is the landfall date. Supplemental claims have 18 months. We document the damage from the first visit so your records are ready when you file.
Can mold start in a closed-up Key Biscayne house even without a storm?
Yes. Miami-area humidity runs high most of the year, and an AC that shuts off or a drain line that clogs while you are away lets moisture build quickly. Our mold inspection looks for growth and its cause with meters and thermal imaging, and any sampling is handled by an independent assessor.
Other places our crews cover
Water damage in Key Biscayne? Call our crew lead.
A person answers every call, day or night. Tell us what got wet and when it started, and we will tell you what happens next.