Sen. Rick Scott walked through several downtown Punta Gorda businesses today. He said he saw just how much water came inside from Helene.
He said a lot of business owners and residents had never seen water like this before.
First Charlotte Air Conditioning owner, Joe Cellamare, said they got 14 inches of water, and no one expected it. They have damaged air conditioning units that won't be sellable.
Punta Gorda renter, Adam St Laurent, said he got 12 to 14 inches of water in his house on Durrance Street, and six inches of water in his backyard, even with sandbags. He didn't stay in his home to ride out the storm, but when he got back, he said he was in disbelief.
He said he lost a lot, including two guitars that his late father gave to him.
"Everything's replaceable," St Laurent said. "We're safe. That's obviously the important part, but it's still very frustrating when you lose thousands and thousands of dollars worth of things that might not mean so much to someone else but mean a lot to you."
Adam said he is being condemned from his home.
Cellamare said their main priority right now is replacing people's damaged air conditioning units because they are the best dehumidifiers.
"If your air conditioners running, please don't be concerned about your ductwork," he said. "We're going to get you on the list, and we're going to get to it."
Scott said he is hoping to help the people of Punta Gorda. He said he is going to make sure the federal government does their part, including SBA's loan program, for businesses, and FEMA's grant program, for homeowners.