Dozens of Florida storm victims are facing homelessness this week as a federal deadline ends temporary housing aid for those displaced by Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton last year. In communities like St. Pete Beach, residents say local delays in the construction permitting process have kept them from repairing their homes in time to return-and now, with nowhere else to go, many are preparing to sleep in their cars or on the streets.
“I begged FEMA, please let me stay till the 18th. That’s all I need,” Andrea Simhony, whose St. Pete Beach condo remains uninhabitable, told WTVT. “If [the city] had been quicker with the permits, maybe my place would have been fixed and I wouldn’t be homeless right now.”
Newsweek reached out to FEMA, Governor Ron DeSantis’ press office, and the mayor of St. Pete Beach, Florida, by email for comment.
Why It Matters
The housing crisis in St. Pete Beach is one example of a much broader issue across Tampa Bay. More than 10,000 homes in the region were designated as substantially damaged after the storms, requiring either demolition or major reconstruction under updated building codes. Local permitting departments, overwhelmed by the demand, are struggling to keep up-delaying the return of many residents…