GULFPORT, Fla. (WFLA) — The City of Gulfport is under scrutiny and storm victims say their hands are tied because of it.
Some residents say their community has been neglected over the last three months since Hurricane Helene and Milton hit Florida.
Those who live in some of the hardest hit areas claim they’ve been overlooked during the inspection process, which is required in order to start the permitting process.
Without a permit, homeowners are unable to move forward with extensive repairs to their homes.
Rebecca McCoy and James Newman have lived in their Gulfport home for nearly 25 years, but the last several months have been difficult.
A blue tarp has been draped across their roof to cover the gaping hole caused by the high winds during Milton.
They say they’re unable to make repairs because they’re still waiting for a permit.
“First we had to wait for the substantial damage evaluation letter, wait for insurance, wait for the adjusters to come,” Newman said. “We got through all that and we’re still waiting for permits to be issued.”
Homeowners are also voicing concerns about the inspection process to determine the amount of damage to the home.
“We’ve done as much on our own as we possibly can,” McCoy said. “We just want to put it back together and move forward.”
The substantial damage determination process stems from a federal rule, but it’s up to local officials to apply.
According to the FEMA 50% rule, the amount of damage must be less than half of the assessed value of the home.
If the amount of damage exceeds that threshold, then homeowners may be required to elevate their house or rebuild the entire structure.
“Here in the City of Gulfport the appeal process is through the permitting process,” said Justin Shea, a spokesperson for the City of Gulfport. “If you do that inspection and justify there was no damage inside the house, the building official will reverse that decision.”
However, many homeowners are confused about the inspection process to calculate the damage.
“The residents of Gulfport and the waterfront district are suffering right now,” said Randy Dunham.
In many cases, inspectors make their substantial damage determination without evaluating the interior of the home.
“90% of us are displaced,” Dunham said. “We have no place to go, no place to live, and we’re paying these mortgages on a house that’s just unlivable.”
City leaders acknowledged the delays and claim that officials are working to clear the backlog of permit applications.
“We have requested help,” Shea said. “We are a small city. We have two reviewers essentially coming on board this week to help with the influx of reviewing these files. We’re doing the assessments of people’s properties. At the moment, we’re about 60% complete of just over 600 properties.”