REDINGTON SHORES, Fla. — Nearly a year and a half after Hurricane Helene flooded parts of Pinellas County, some families are still living in limbo while waiting for the state’s Elevate Florida program to lift their homes.
In Redington Shores, Pauline Daninos has been coping with the ups and downs of that reality for months.
“There are days when you just feel so defeated, and you know, I just go in the house and break down,” she said.
WATCH: 'It’s really disheartening:' Pinellas families still waiting for state help to elevate their homes
When Helene hit, about three feet of water filled her home of 27 years. Because her home was determined to be substantially damaged, it must be elevated before it can be rebuilt and occupied again.
Daninos applied for Elevate Florida the day the program opened.
When she received an email late last summer saying she had been accepted, she felt like relief was on the way.
“It was like winning the lottery,” she said.
She thought she and her family might be back inside their home by the end of 2025. However, construction has not yet started, and her application is still under review.
“It’s really disheartening,” she said. “We thought that it would be a lot quicker.”
For now, she, her husband, their son, and two large dogs are living in what she calls “the biggest mac daddy camper we could find.” It’s parked in their home’s front yard.
Though the RV looks gargantuan from the outside, she and her husband say it quickly felt small. Some days are harder than others. Both she and her husband said there are days when they dread coming home from work.
“There are days when you just feel so defeated,” she said. “I’m sure if you ask anybody in this program how their mental health is doing, there are a few days where it suffers a lot.”
Still, there is some hope. There’s a bottle of champagne waiting in the RV’s refrigerator.
“When [the RV] goes down the road, we’re going to be popping it,” she said. “Hopefully that day will come.”
A different kind of waiting
In Belleair Beach, Joe Girvan is also waiting, but from inside his home.
“We love it here and hope to stay here forever,” he said.
Helene brought nearly four feet of water into his house. When Elevate Florida approved him, he was thrilled.
“Wow, this could be our ticket to long-term success. If we can get above the problem, our prayers are answered,” Girvan said.
But months later, that excitement has faded.
“A couple of months ago, I would have said that I was very frustrated,” Girvan said. “I’ve resigned myself now to not expecting it to happen.”
Without elevation, he worries the next major storm could put him right back where he started. He says that would be bad for both his family and his federal flood insurance policy.
“FEMA should want us to elevate our house, and their contribution will save them hundreds of thousands of dollars, millions of dollars potentially, over the long-haul," Girvan said.
Zero homes lifted by the program in Pinellas
According to a February update from Elevate Florida, in Pinellas County:
- 3,678 homeowners applied for the program,
- 368 applications are moving forward,
- 894 pre-construction inspections have been completed.
However, in Pinellas County:
- 0 homes have so far been elevated by the program,
- 0 homes are currently under construction,
- 0 are scheduled to begin construction in the next 30 days.
Earlier this week, Belleair Beach City Council member Frank Bankard said he has “zero satisfaction” with the program’s progress so far.
When Elevate Florida launched in 2024, the program said it aimed to elevate 2,000 homes statewide.
But in a January email to Bankard, a program contractor wrote, “At this time, we are hoping to assist 1,000-1,500 property owners.” The contractor cited rising project costs for the smaller number.
Earlier materials also referenced construction beginning as early as September 2025, a timeline that has since passed.
“I have dozens of questions, because when this was presented to us in 2024, this was going to be a fast, expedited system,” Bankard said. “They said, ‘You’re going to be so impressed.’”
According to a February update, Elevate Florida says it cannot begin construction until it receives project awards and FEMA approvals. On its website, the program says it is actively submitting applications for federal review.
Monday, Tampa Bay 28 reached out to Elevate Florida and the Florida Division of Emergency Management for comment, but has not yet received a response.
For now, some families remain parked in their driveways or living in homes they fear could flood again, waiting for a lift that has yet to arrive.
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