Safety
Check the exact address on official maps
Search the facility’s full street address through the FEMA Flood Map Service Center at https://msc.fema.gov/portal/home, the official public source for mapped flood hazards. Save the map result with the date you reviewed it, and ask the facility to clarify which building and unit would hold your shipment. Do not substitute a general neighborhood description for an address-level check. Also distinguish FEMA flood zones from local evacuation zones: Tampa explains that they are different planning tools at https://www.tampa.gov/emergency-management/hurricane-information. See the broader Tampa planning hub at /resources/ for other move-day conditions to review.
Ask how goods are elevated and enclosed
Find out whether the assigned space is indoors or directly accessible from outside, what floor it is on and whether stored goods are kept off the floor. Ask how doors, roofs, drains and openings are inspected and maintained, but do not treat general construction claims as proof that a unit is floodproof. Clarify whether furniture and boxes will be wrapped, palletized, shelved or placed directly on the unit floor. Request written storage terms identifying the facility address, unit or storage arrangement, access limits and responsibility for packing.
Review storm, outage and retrieval procedures
Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through November 30, so contingency planning is particularly relevant for summer and fall Tampa storage (NOAA: https://www.noaa.gov/hurricane-prep). Ask how the operator communicates closures, monitors the property, responds to water intrusion and handles extended power loss. If climate controls are part of the agreement, clarify what happens when power or equipment is interrupted. Determine whether customers can retrieve goods before a forecast storm, recognizing that access may be restricted when roads, buildings or emergency orders make travel unsafe. Compare possible arrangements at /services/moving-and-storage/, subject to confirmed service availability and written terms.
Read coverage terms and separate irreplaceable items
Ask whether your mover’s valuation or liability terms continue while goods are in storage and whether a separate storage policy applies. Review exclusions, deductibles, limits, claim deadlines and documentation requirements; do not assume ordinary homeowners or renters insurance covers every stored item or cause of loss. Keep passports, vital records, medications, financial papers, digital backups and uniquely irreplaceable items somewhere secure and accessible rather than placing them in routine moving storage. Before signing, obtain the estimate, inventory when applicable, storage agreement, payment terms and coverage documents. Florida intrastate mover registration and consumer resources are available from FDACS at https://www.fdacs.gov/Consumer-Resources/Consumer-Rights-and-Responsibilities/Moving-Companies.
