Nearly two years after Hurricanes Helene and Milton tore through the Tampa Bay area, Clearwater is still fronting the cost of its own recovery while it waits on Washington to make good on $9.3 million in promised FEMA reimbursement.

City officials say the bureaucratic process remains ongoing even as residents have largely put their lives back together. Emergency Management Specialist Miyah McClainey said crews continue working through a backlog of storm-related projects, including upgrades to Marshall Street and parks and recreation repairs, all while the city navigates federal paperwork to recover money it already spent.

“We’re currently working through a lot of remaining projects and working through the FEMA reimbursement process. Recovery takes time,” McClainey said.

For residents like Rhonda Siegel, the storms’ toll had nothing to do with red tape and everything to do with real loss. She took on roughly 18 inches of floodwater in her home, losing floors, subfloors, and a mango tree she’d cultivated for years.

“Every time, you know, hurricane season comes up, I have PTSD. It’s a real thing, like the storms come and I am ready to pack up,” Siegel said.

Nearly two full hurricane seasons have now passed since the storms hit, and the city still hasn’t closed the book with federal regulators — a timeline that raises questions about how efficiently disaster aid actually reaches local communities that need it. The city continues to urge residents to prepare their own “go bags” for the next storm, and points them to Pinellas Recovers for repair assistance, rather than count on federal relief to move any faster.

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