Residents of Treasure Island, Florida, just west of Tampa, are still struggling to recover from back-to-back hurricanes.
The area off the coast of the Gulf of Mexico was hit first by Hurricane Helen and then a few weeks later by Hurricane Milton. The community is currently struggling, with local residents crammed into hotel rooms that are usually filled with snowbirds this time of year.
Floridians are frustrated by the slowness of the process. The two storms occurred 13 days apart, and the damage is still visible nearly two months after Hurricane Helen.
In one apartment complex, mud is still being pushed up against the walls, and a sofa that was pushed through one of the windows by the powerful storm surge can still be seen.
Approximately 2,000 homes and businesses were affected by the storm on Treasure Island alone.
One resident told NewsNation they're frustrated by the struggle to get permits for repairs. She and her mother own several apartment complexes, but annual renters are leaving and vacation reservations are being canceled for the entire month of January.
The city of Treasure Island normally processes about 1,600 permit applications a year, but has received more than 700 since the storm.
Officials at all levels – local, state and federal – are having difficulty meeting demand and are asking for patience.
“This is the first time we've had to do something on this scale, so that's what the city and state are thinking about,” city spokesman Jason Beasel said. “People are starting to understand what it means to live on a barrier island that has to go through all this rebuilding process, and it's just been a learning experience for everyone.”
Biesel said the damage to homes and businesses was severe, but asked for patience.
At another hotel, the general manager told NewsNation that the 96-room hotel's occupancy was 100% from people evacuated in the area.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is actually making arrangements for these people through January, if needed.
The city has given a rough timeline for full recovery in areas that rely heavily on tourism as summer 2025, with an estimated $11 billion impact on Pinellas County alone. It attracts anywhere from 11 million to 15 million people, many of whom typically spend the winter in the region at this time of year.
But bars, restaurants and hotels are either too damaged to open or occupied by displaced people, leaving fewer options for snowbirds who would normally visit the area.
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