Damage help for Taylor Creek and Buckhead Ridge

About the area

Taylor Creek is a census-designated place in Okeechobee County along the north side of Lake Okeechobee, with 4,470 residents at the 2020 census. It is served by U.S. 98 and 441 and State Roads 700 and 15. Its history goes back to 1855, when Taylor Creek was the site of a Seminole meeting on how to respond to pressure from the U.S. government, a meeting that led to the start of the Third Seminole War. The first Euro-American settlers, Peter and Louisiana Raulerson, moved down from Fort Basinger in October 1896.

Buckhead Ridge sits across the county line in Glades County, a small community of 1,509 people in 2020 covering about 1.4 square miles at an elevation of about 13 feet. Most residential lots have canals that feed into Lake Okeechobee. Glades County has the highest share of mobile homes in the region, about 54 percent of housing units in 2024.

Water, fire and wind on the lakeshore

• Flooding. On November 1, 2026, the South Florida Water Management District closed the S-193 boat lock on Taylor Creek to boat traffic so it could be used to move floodwater away from local communities. Canal-front homes are the first to feel high water.
• Lakebed fire. In February 2026, during a severe drought, the First Point Fire burned about 8,612 acres of dry vegetation inside the Herbert Hoover Dike near Buckhead Ridge. Winds kept the smoke away from the populated area that day, but a wind shift can carry smoke and ash into homes.
• Hurricanes. In Wilma in 2005, Okeechobee County saw gusts to 80 mph, about 50 covered boat slips destroyed and 12 boats damaged or sunk. In 2004, Frances and Jeanne struck three weeks apart and destroyed hundreds of homes countywide.
• Tornadoes. During Hurricane Milton on October 9, 2024, an EF1 tornado with estimated winds of 110 mph emerged over the Herbert Hoover Dike near Lakeport in western Glades County and damaged several manufactured homes, showing how quickly lakeshore storms can turn.

Call from Taylor Creek or Buckhead Ridge

Common restoration calls in 34974

• Canal and rain flooding into homes, garages and sheds. Outside floodwater is Category 3 and needs disinfection. See flood water damage.
• Manufactured home leaks in floors, underbellies and ceiling panels. See manufactured home water damage.
• Septic backups when saturated ground cannot take water. See septic backup cleanup.
• Smoke odor from nearby brush and lakebed fires. See fire and smoke damage.
• Mold in homes closed up during outages or long absences. See mold remediation.

Two counties, one ZIP

Because Buckhead Ridge is in Glades County and Taylor Creek is in Okeechobee County, permits, building inspections and emergency notices come from different offices. Check with the right county building department before major repairs, and follow both counties' emergency information during storms.

Insurance notes

Rising water from a canal, the lake or heavy rain is flood. FEMA notes that most homeowners policies do not cover flooding, and the Florida Division of Emergency Management says manufactured home policies do not inherently cover it either. National Flood Insurance Program policies typically take 30 days to start. Wind damage, and rain that enters through a storm-damaged roof or window, is usually handled by the regular policy, subject to the hurricane deductible during hurricanes. See the Florida insurance guide.