The Board of Protect Siesta Key is deeply saddened by the damage to our beautiful island caused by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Many Siesta Key property owners suffered losses of their homes, possessions, cars, and/or businesses. Know that you are not alone, and we wish we could help each one of you during this difficult time. What we can offer at this moment is information. The following are resources you could use as you recover from these terrible storms. Contact your homeowner’s insurance company as soon as possible to report your losses. If you need a Flood Mitigation company to remove wet items, floors, and drywall, companies like ServePro and PaulDavis are working on Siesta Key. You can visit their website or contact the company working in my neighborhood, Ready Now Restoration (RNR), Visit their website at: ReadyNowRestoration.com or call the local RNR Coordinator Hunter Ortiz at 513-594-4628. Let them know you were referred to them by Lourdes. For Flood Insurance claims under the NFIP (National Flood Insurance Program), visit NFIPDirect. For Hurricane Wind claims with Citizens Insurance, visit their website CitizensFla.com. Be sure to take plenty of pictures and/or videos of your lost possessions and damage to your home for use in your insurance claims. Use old photos taken at your home to identify items you lost during the storms. File a claim with FEMA’s DisasterAssistance.org, which may provide funds for losses not covered by insurance. Report your damaged home to the Sarasota County Property Appraiser. This may lead to a partial property tax refund if your home is uninhabitable for 30 days or more. To report damage to Property Appraiser, visit their Damage Reporting Page (link). According to the Property Appraiser’s website, ‘To obtain a property tax refund, file a completed DR-465 Application for Catastrophic Event Tax Refund Form no later than March 1 of the year following the catastrophic event (Section 197.319, Florida Statutes). Note that the form cannot be submitted until the property has been repaired or January 1, whichever comes first.’ Sarasota County has a Hurricane Relief distribution center at Glebe Park 1000 Glebe Lane, Siesta Key, where tarps, water, non-perishable food, and ice are available. For images of our community post hurricanes, visit NOAA’s website: Link to post Hurricane Helene imagery Link to post Hurricane Milton imagery. I took close-up screenshots of the areas on Siesta Key to document the damage caused by each storm. You can use these images as evidence for your insurance claim, as the insurance company will consider each storm as a separate event. If your home is uninhabitable for the foreseeable future, consider contacting your various service providers to pause or cancel home services such as internet or cable. You should not have to pay for these services while you are away from home unless you are using them at a new location. This list is just part of the many resources available. For additional resource options: Sarasota County’s Resource center: Call the County’s resource hotline 311, Visit their website at scgov.net (Link), Visit the County’s Resource Services webpage (Link). Fl Disaster Assistance: Fl DisasterAssistance.com, Fl Division of Emergency Management: FloridaDisaster.org. If you have any suggestions to help others in this disaster, send us an email at ProtectSiestaKey@outlook.com and we will add it to our list of resources on our website.