Nearly three years after Hurricane Ian ravaged their North Fort Myers home, sisters Paula Colose and RoseAnn Cutler are finally seeing a glimmer of hope in their long and frustrating fight to rebuild.
Since the storm destroyed over half their residence, the sisters have been living in limbo, navigating a maze of red tape, permit delays and broken contractor promises. Despite paying thousands to a contractor, the necessary paperwork to begin reconstruction was never filed.
“He was operating out of a travel trailer lot,” Cutler said. “By the time we realized there was an issue, he was long gone.”
The Federal Emergency Management Agency eventually provided them with a trailer, but it was taken back three months ago, leaving the women without shelter once again.
“We’ve been in limbo for two years and eight months,” Cutler added.
Lee County stepped in through its Lee Cares program, temporarily housing the sisters at the Hideaway Resort in Cape Coral. The arrangement, costing the county $6,000 a month, was meant to be a short-term fix. However, for months, progress on rebuilding their home stalled, largely due to permitting issues.
“When they’re paying all of this money for us to stay in temporary housing, why not just do the permits?” asked Colose.
According to Lee County officials, the delays were not due to a permitting backlog, but rather complex environmental, design and engineering hurdles that required multiple agency approvals.
Then, just before an interview with Gulf Coast News, the sisters received the call they had been waiting for.
“She said the permit just came through five minutes ago,” Cutler said with cautious optimism.
The long-awaited permit means demolition and reconstruction can finally begin. County officials now estimate that the sisters will be able to move back into their home by September.
“It’s the first real progress we’ve had,” Colose said. “It gives us hope.”
DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more.