DUNEDIN, Fla. — Many who reside in Westwind Cellular Residence Park close to Dunedin are nonetheless being hit with a vortex of stress, anguish, and anxiousness nearly seven months after Hurricane Helene.
Cyndi Varney is aware of that firsthand.
“We don’t sleep nicely in any respect anymore— not since we bought the letter,” she mentioned.
In March, she obtained a letter with penalties: a considerable injury letter from Pinellas County. Due to a FEMA rule for particular flood hazard areas, Varney and her husband, Rod, should elevate, relocate, or abandon their residence except they’ll show it isn’t considerably broken.
A whole lot extra throughout Pinellas County face the identical dilemma.
“Plenty of these individuals are aged,” mentioned Norma Scheele, who additionally lives at Westwind and was additionally dealing with a considerable injury willpower just lately. “They haven’t any place else to go.”
Monday, Pinellas County supplied some aid.
The county moved the compliance deadline from June 1, 2025, to June 1, 2026, which implies owners now have greater than a 12 months to both comply, present they’re making an attempt to conform or work their reassessment case.
This extension permits owners to stay of their properties whereas working towards compliance.
“Nonetheless, it doesn’t allow owners to undertake enhancements past minor repairs needed for security and habitability,” a Pinellas County spokesperson clarified. “Owners are anticipated to reveal progress towards compliance throughout this era.”
The county spokesperson mentioned the extension would additionally give folks extra time to probably obtain monetary aid, which might come from the $813 million grant the county obtained from the federal authorities earlier this 12 months. The county is presently drawing up a plan to spend that cash to finest assist storm victims.
“What can we get assist with?” Rod Varney mentioned. “You understand, it’s out of pocket.”
The Varneys are skeptical that the deadline extension will finally assist them. If something, they imagine it delays the inevitable: the choice they may need to make to desert their residence, which they are saying was declared considerably broken regardless that the within didn’t flood throughout Hurricane Helene.
“That is the placement that we selected to be in and we invested in all these years,” Cyndi mentioned.
For now, the stress, anguish, and anxiousness aren’t going wherever anytime quickly.
The Might 31, 2025, deadline to file for a reassessment of a considerable injury willpower has not modified.
In line with the county, within the occasion of a named storm this upcoming hurricane season, folks residing in properties with a considerable injury willpower and non permanent occupancy permits should comply with the identical evacuation orders as different residents.
“If there had simply been a trooper up there, perhaps this entire factor may have been prevented.”
A choose in Florida is sharing the story of his son’s loss of life in hopes of serving to the Florida Freeway Patrol trooper scarcity.
FHP trooper scarcity leaves mother and father questioning if their son may have been saved
