TREASURE ISLAND, Fla. — Treasure Island residents packed a town hall meeting Wednesday night. A number of them told city leaders they just want to get back into their homes — something they haven’t been able to do since Hurricane Helene in September. They said they’re held up, waiting on substantial damage letters and permits to make repairs. 

What You Need To Know

  • The city of Treasure Island held a town hall meeting Wednesday

  • The meeting was meant to answer questions and offer clarity on substantial damage and the permitting process following Hurricanes Helene and Milton

  • A number of residents said delays in these processes have prevented them from getting back to their homes nearly three months after Helene

  • PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Treasure Island residents working to navigate the hurricane recovery process

“This is completely unacceptable that 90 days after the hurricanes, we’re sitting here arguing about the technicalities of permitting,” said resident Andrew Vasey.

Vasey told Spectrum News more than three feet of storm surge from Helene destroyed his home.

“I’ve been out of my house since Sept. 27,” Vasey said. “I’ve been through four Airbnbs, trying to find a place to live in St. Pete, where either the rents are going way up or there just isn’t an availability.”

Vasey said he plans to demolish and rebuild his home, but many at the town hall said they’re still waiting on permits to even get work started on their homes. According to a presentation during the meeting, the city has received 1,454 permit applications since Helene. That’s close to the 1,648 they saw during all of last year. Just more than 400 have been issued or are ready to be issued, and 172 more are waiting for corrections or additional information. When it comes to substantial damage letters, 969 have been mailed to city residents, with 644 of those determining buildings to be substantially damaged.

“The determination letter that everyone’s been talking about, we’ve been waiting for that data. That data’s coming in dribs and drabs,” said Treasure Island Mayor John Doctor.

Doctor said city commissioners unanimously voted Tuesday to switch the FEMA-approved method they’re using to determine substantial damage. It’s known as “Option 2.” Doctor said this option means residents don’t have to wait for a substantial damage letter to obtain permits for repairs.

“We don’t have to worry about that data any longer. All we need is to do the simple math, the simple equation, that basically says what percentage are you damaged,” Doctor said.

He said if the answer is under 50 percent, residents can move forward with the process and permits should be issued more quickly. Frustrated residents told officials that can’t happen soon enough.

“This whole island basically got over washed with three feet of water,” said Vasey. “There are people living in RVs in their driveways. They’re living in RVs in parks somewhere in St. Pete. There are people in Airbnbs. They’re sleeping on friends’ couches. They’re living back with their kids. The community is scattered all over the place.”

The mayor said staff are also working six days a week to get permits issued, and the city has contracted with an engineering firm to bring on more workers to help out. 

Residents can find more information on post-hurricane rebuilding on the city’s website.