John Henry experienced the full impact of Hurricane Helene’s unprecedented storm surge in St. Pete Beach.

“I live on the first floor of the condo,” he shared. “I had almost 5 feet of water in there, so it almost wiped everything out.”

Now, more than two months later, Henry is eager to rebuild but finds himself stuck, waiting for a permit.

“It’s very frustrating because the city has never dealt with this before, and obviously, we haven’t either,” Henry explained. “There’s just not enough information to keep us up to date and let us know what’s going on.”

When asked about the delays, Marc Portugal, St. Pete Beach’s public information officer, explained, “One of the delays is getting the substantial damage letters out of processing from the contractor. There are about 2,800 letters in data processing or quality control or both, so that’s one of the biggest delays.”

But why is it taking so long?

City leaders clarified that there is a significant amount of data involved in this process. A third-party vendor must pull information from the property appraiser’s website and other public sources. These numbers are then fed into FEMA’s substantial damage estimator tool, which determines whether there is substantial damage.

The city’s latest data shows that out of 2,965 completed inspections, 2,725 are still in the quality control review process. So, approximately 90% remain unapproved.

When asked what advice he has for residents eager to return to their homes, Portugal responded, “Explore the minimal repair permit. But if you’re submitting a full permit package, please make sure your full permit package is complete.”

As residents like Henry wait for the necessary permits, the frustration continues to mount, highlighting the challenges and bureaucratic hurdles faced in the aftermath of such devastating natural events.

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(Image credit: The City of St. Pete Beach)