Need urgent help on tenant water damage issue - FL

[Jacob Camilliere]

Hello all, 

I need some urgent advice on how to handle a situation that i am currently in.

The situation: I own a townhome in Tampa, FL with tenants that have been great. They informed me of a plumbing problem on Friday night in which the drains were blocked and toilets were not working on the second floor. I immediately called a plumber and they were scheduled to arrive this evening (Saturday). The situation at this point had been under control, seemed like just a drainage block, no big deal... 

Saturday morning rolls around and the tenants call me to let me know that one of them had showered in one of the upstairs showers late Friday night, and when they woke up this morning (saturday) there was massive amount of water that had been backed up in the other shower and was all over the bathroom and hallways floors. The situation continued to get worse as the water soaked into the floors, and through the walls and ceilings into the first floor. I immediately called a restoration specialist to take a look at the problem and it was quite severe. A 'Category 3' water issued where the water that had leaked everywhere was sewage water containing fecal matter, etc. The entire carpet, baseboards, bathroom tiles, floorboards in the second floor need to be teared out in addition to the ceiling and wall on the first floor. The water clean up and tear down estimate is expected to be around $5k-$7k plus the cost of the plumber to fix the blocked drain. At this point I am just trying to get all the water and damaged areas taken care of as soon as possible. I have contracted the restoration specialists at this point only to remove the water, install de-humidifying equipment, and antimicrobial sprays. i can do tear out the damaged material myself. The plumber also identified the issue and will be fixing it tomorrow morning. His camera 'broker' so i told him to come back tomorrow morning with a camera as it is crucial i identify what the exact cause of the blockage was. 

What recourse do have with respects to my tenants bearing the cost of the damage? What should i be doing to best protect myself in this situation? I use the BP lease template and there is a very clear section of the lease that states the tenants 'shall be responsible for all costs related to any repair or maintenance of any plumbing stopped or slow down caused by Tenant, whether accidental or purposeful'. 

this is my first rental property and the first time i am dealing with a situation of this magnitude. What should i do? Any and all guidance would be appreciated. 

thanks,