MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. — On Katharine Avenue in the New Monrovia Park neighborhood of Port Salerno, boarded windows and broken beams are still evident scars from Hurricane Milton's destruction nearly a year after tornadoes tore through the neighborhood.
"Our neighborhood was unrecognizable," resident Marie McCool said.
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When an EF-2 tornado ripped through McCool and her fiancé, Don Simpson's, Martin County neighborhood on Oct. 9, they were among the lucky ones whose home was spared.
The twister struck the other side of their street, annihilating it, and the recovery has been slow and unnerving.
"I'm afraid," McCool said. "It's just scary. What could happen? We have impact windows, but we still don't know."
Their main concern is that piles of debris from partially rebuilt homes could turn into airborne shrapnel if another storm hits the area.
"There's so much material still inside that could become airborne," Simpson said.
Yet across the street, there is another fear. Neighbors say the recovery has been stalled by months-long waits for building permits and insurance payouts.
Dan Toback of Home Buyers Inc. bought one of the destroyed homes across from Simpson and McCool. He said it took about six months just to get a permit.
"We had to do it as if it's a new build construction," Toback said.
Anthony Rubino, another homeowner, faced delays of his own. It took him months to obtain a FEMA denial and an insurance payout before he could even apply for a building permit in June.
"VERY FRUSTRATING"
"It's very lengthy, and it is very frustrating, because it's just non-stop going back and forth," Rubino said.
Now, at the height of storm season, both Toback and Rubino's homes stand as vulnerable and exposed as McCool and Simpson's home.
"(It's) just a really scary situation for us," Toback said.
Martin County Building Department Director Jeff Dougherty said his office has been overwhelmed by an unprecedented number of applications following the storm.
"We want to A: make sure it's safe and B: make sure (of) compliance," Dougherty said.
Public records WPTV obtained in a request show nearly 2,000 permits were requested on the Treasure Coast after Hurricane Milton — nearly 400 in Martin County, more than 600 in St. Lucie County, and over 1,000 in Indian River County. By June, about 15% permits in Martin and Indian River counties were still pending.
"HUGE CONCERN"
"What do we tell homeowners who are in this situation and are worried about that debris becoming airborne shrapnel?" investigative reporter Kate Hussey asked Dougherty.
"We'll do everything we can at the county level, the state is always there to help, but we are all concerned about the next storm," replied Doughterty.
"It's a huge, huge concern," added state Rep. Fiona McFarland, R-Sarasota, who represents District 73.
McFarland said she heard two main complaints from constituents after last year's hurricane season: debris removal and permitting delays.
"You've got power back on, you've cleared the roads, now you're just trying to fix your house, you found a contractor, but you can't get a permit from your local government," McFarland said. "(It's) so, so frustrating."
Now, legislation may help fix that.
In June, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed Senate Bill 180, sponsored by McFarland, which requires local governments to do the following:
- Lock in at least one debris management site each year before storm season
- Lay out post-storm permitting plans for homeowners and businesses
- Set up mutual aid agreements to speed cleanup
- Waive permit fee increases for 180 days after a storm
- Mandates that construction sites secure cranes 24 hours before landfall or face fines, license suspension or liability for damages
However, that's only half the battle for people like Rubino, who struggled to even get to a place where he could apply for a permit.
"The other half of the problem that we're hearing about is insurance taking months to payout," Hussey said to McFarland. "Is there anything the legislature can do to address that?"
"The insurance market in Florida is ... it's not a great market," replied McFarland. "It's really broken, as any homeowner will know. We’re trying everything we can to make the market more competitive. If there are more things we can do as a state to make us more prepared against hurricanes, I want to hear about them."
For families like McCool and Simpson, the fixes can't come fast enough.
Recovery isn't always just about rebuilding. It's about feeling safe enough to stay.
"We just want everything cleaned up safely, for God forbid, another storm," McCool said. "We don't want to see that again. We want everybody safe."
McFarland said the law took effect immediately, meaning homeowners should see changes during this hurricane season.
She also pushed for a statewide expansion of "insurance villages," where storm victims can meet representatives in person. These "insurance villages" were enacted last year by then-CFO Jimmy Patronis, but were only set up in certain areas. McFarland said she'd like to see them more widespread.