Turning the tide: flood panel questions, answered

Flood Guard (Flood Guard LLC) is a Tampa Bay company that designs, builds and installs custom aluminum flood panels and flood gates for homes, condos and businesses. We're based in St. Petersburg, fabricate in Pinellas County, and our family has worked in storm protection for more than 50 years.

Aluminum tracks are mounted on each side of a door, slider or garage opening. When a storm is coming, interlocking aluminum panels slide into the tracks and a top cap and stainless bolts compress EPDM rubber gaskets between every part, forming a watertight barrier. When the storm passes, the panels come out and are stored until next time.

Flood Guard systems are made from electrophoretically coated structural aluminum, 316 marine-grade stainless steel and EPDM rubber gaskets. These materials resist rust and salt air on Florida's Gulf Coast.

Single and double doors, sliding glass doors, windows near ground level, garage doors, storefronts, lobby entrances and mechanical or elevator rooms. Each system is custom measured, and openings up to 6 feet high can be protected. Wide openings use center brackets.

A typical home door or slider takes one person a few minutes once you've practiced. We show every customer how to deploy their system at installation, and our how-to videos walk through it step by step.

Often, yes. FEMA maps show statistical risk, not a guarantee. During Hurricanes Helene and Milton in 2024, many Tampa Bay homes outside high-risk zones flooded from storm surge, heavy rain and backed-up drainage. How close you are to the water and how low your floor sits matter more than the zone letter.

Most homes come in around $5,000–$8,000. Large condo and commercial buildings have run $50,000–$80,000. The cost depends on how many openings you have, how wide and how tall they are. For most properties it's less than 10% of the cost of flood repairs. The on-site assessment and quote are free.

Yes. We offer 0% interest financing for buyers who qualify, and veterans discounts are available. Ask about both during your free assessment.

It depends on the building and the policy. Under the National Flood Insurance Program, certified dry floodproofing is mainly credited for non-residential (commercial) buildings. Some private flood insurers consider mitigation for homes. Ask your agent, and we can provide product and installation details for them.

Some installations need a permit or HOA or condo board approval, depending on the city and the building. We handle the requirements for your area and install to Florida Building Code.

Our systems are designed so homeowners can deploy them easily, and the tracks can be installed with basic tools. Most customers choose our professional installation so tracks are mounted, sealed and tested correctly, which also keeps the warranty simple.

Flood Guard includes a 5-year limited warranty on panels and tracks, 1 year on seals and hardware. The warranty can be transferred to a new owner if you sell the property.

Everything from concrete work and site prep to fabrication and installation. We also offer service and storage plans, so your panels are inspected, maintained and ready when a storm is coming.

Yes. After a few years in business and growing demand, we started supplying many of the other flood barrier companies around Florida with panels and tracks from our Pinellas County shop, so the same quality and craftsmanship reaches more people who need it.

Faster than most, because we manufacture and install in-house instead of waiting on an outside factory. Lead times depend on the season and the size of the job; call for current timing.

Yes. We provide signed and sealed engineering drawings where permits require them, and site-specific engineering is available on request.

Yes. Custom colors and covers are available on request, so the tracks blend in with your home or building.

Rinse panels and tracks with fresh water after exposure to salt water, store panels flat and dry, check the gaskets each spring for cracks or flattening, and do a practice install before hurricane season. Replacement gaskets and hardware are available from us.

Because every system is custom built for your openings, orders can only be cancelled before fabrication and installation begin. Deposit refunds depend on costs already incurred.

We're open Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM Eastern. Call or text (727) 599-4275, or send the form on our website any time and we'll get back to you.

Yes. We work with builders and property owners nationwide and have shipped internationally. Systems are custom built to your openings, so we start with measurements and photos of each opening.

We specialize in Tampa Bay and Florida's Gulf Coast: Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee and Sarasota Counties, including St. Petersburg, Tampa, Clearwater, the Pinellas beaches, Bradenton and Sarasota. We also install all over Florida, work with builders and property owners nationwide, and have shipped internationally.

Most Flood Guard home systems cost $5,000–$8,000, covering the doors, sliders and garage openings water would come through. Smaller jobs can be less; homes with many or very wide openings can be more.

Large condo and commercial buildings with many or wide openings have run $50,000–$80,000. Each building is quoted after a site walk with the board or manager.

For most properties, protection costs less than 10% of the cost of flood repairs, and the panels are reused storm after storm. One flood can mean tear-out, drying, mold work, rebuilding and months out of the home.

The number of openings, their width and height, the wall and floor surfaces the tracks mount to, whether center brackets are needed for wide spans, and any permitting.

Yes. The on-site assessment and written quote are free and there's no obligation.