Five months have passed since Hurricane Helene hit, flooding hundreds of homes in the Tampa Bay area’s beach towns. 

One resident, Jeff Fuller, is facing significant challenges rebuilding his home after it was inundated by five feet of water. His efforts have been stalled, as he waits for the necessary permits.

Fuller, a resident of the small town of Redington Beach with only 1,400 people, is caught in a state of limbo.

Without a permit, he can’t start reconstruction and is living in a house without walls, a kitchen, bathrooms, or floors.

“I’m stuck waiting on a permit because I can’t get a contractor to do this for me,” Fuller told local news WTVT.

He contacts local officials every few weeks but is continuously told that his request is “under review.”

“I can’t do anything without a permit because they’ll make me rip out my drywall. So I’m at a standstill for months waiting,” Fuller said. “All of this should have been figured out. This shouldn’t be a huge surprise to anybody. You file these things; you get your permit. It’s the simplest thing ever.”

Aside from the permitting issues, Fuller is also dealing with property appraisal problems.

He met with Pinellas County Property Appraiser Mike Twitty to discuss inaccurate home value estimates that are affecting FEMA reimbursements.

Fuller claims his home was undervalued by a few hundred thousand dollars.

“They took our value from 146,000 to 220,000, roughly,” Fuller explained to WTVT. “Mike Twitty is trying to make sure our community heals, but I asked him for his outreach to be better.”

Twitty, who had previously spoken with WTVT about appraisal issues, explained that mass appraisals aren’t as accurate as hiring a private appraiser who examines old pictures, visits the home, and conducts extensive interviews to arrive at a home valuation.

“We’re doing mass appraisal, which means we’re valuing 40 or 50 thousand parcels every year, and we have to run through statistical models to arrive at those results,” Twitty said.

While Fuller understands the challenges in the appraisal process, his primary concern lies with the permitting issues.

“I’m very disheartened by the local politicians that say we are all in the same boat. Then do something!” Fuller said.

When asked about his number one goal now, he laughed and replied, “A permit. Easiest answer ever.”

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(Image credit: WTVT)

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