On St. Pete Beach, moving on from Hurricanes Helene and Milton remains a slow, painful process.
Sandy streets and debris-laden front lawns have yet to wash away while
efforts to repair and rebuild leave many property owners at the mercy of claims adjusters and insurance companies.
Reza Razavi is among them. He owns several properties near the water, each of which sustained some damage from Hurricane Milton. In one multi-unit rental overlooking the Gulf in Pass-A-Grill, about a foot of water ended up inside because of the storm, he said.
“We had to remove the flooring, the baseboards and drywall,” he told us during a recent visit to the building. “We need funds to be able to complete our work,” he said.
So, you can imagine Razavi’s relief after he filed a flood insurance claim, and his insurance company sent him a $20,000 check to begin making the necessary repairs.
“They said, oh, we’re going to give you an advance check so you can get things going. I was a little surprised to be honest with you in a very good way,” he said.