HOLIDAY, Fla — Kelly Welty's mobile home lost its roof during Hurricane Milton.
"It was devastating,” she said.
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She says it was the only one in the Buena Vista community to get totaled by a tornado.
"I cried, of course, because I've worked very hard getting it nice which has been difficult for me since I lost my husband and being alone,” Welty said.
She said things got worse as she waited for a FEMA inspector.
"Everything was molding because my air conditioning wasn't working and I couldn't stay here.”
Eventually, Kelly set up a tent in the yard.
"It was just my peaceful place."
FEMA then gave Kelly the money that helped get her roof fixed, but nothing else.
She says she's appealed about 20 times.
"I got enough to pay for more roof basically with a letter that said we are glad we could help you get back in your home and have a safe healthy environment to live in. Well I don't call that when you can still see through the floor and no walls, electricity, You have nothing,” Welty said.
FEMA says they still have more than 800 staff on the ground in Florida working on hurricane recovery cases.
And they are continuing to process applications and manage appeals.
You have 60 days after a decision to appeal it.
They say that many assistance applications remain ineligible due to missing documentation.
As of June 9, FEMA reports that it has approved more than $1.6 billion in hurricane recovery funds for Floridians.
After we talked, Kelly let me know she did get another FEMA check to cover some home repairs, but she still can't afford to replace her floor, which she says is unstable and unsafe.
“You know, it might just be time we take a look if HOAs are really even necessary.
Maybe we should just do away with homeowner associations as a whole.”
South Florida lawmaker Rep. Juan Carlos Porras (R-Miami) says it may be time to do away with homeowners associations altogether, as more Floridians speak out about rising fees, costly lawsuits, and even arrests tied to HOA disputes. He said this week that he is considering filing legislation in the next session that would abolish HOAs statewide.
