Lawmaker cautions homeowners against unpermitted work, drawing lessons learned from Hurricane Ian

ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. - You're not alone if you're growing impatient waiting to fix your home from damage sustained during Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

Non-permitted repairs come at a cost

FOX 13's Genevieve Curtis reports on the risks of hurricane victims doing non-permitted work on their homes as they continue to get slow-rolled by local and state authorities to begin making home repairs.

Hundreds of people still hope their municipality will issue their permits so they can get their repairs done and return to their homes.

One lawmaker says you only start doing work with that permit, or it could come at a cost to not just you but also your entire neighborhood.

WATCH: Here's how to get FEMA help

"So you may be frustrated and may say, ‘I don't care. I'm put my drywall up. I'm moving back in my house,’" said State Representative Linda Chaney, who lives on St. Pete Beach.

Chaney knows the permitting process has been hard for everyone, but she’s pleading with homeowners not to do unpermitted work.

There’s more at risk than just a fine.

St. Pete Beach home gutted after Hurricanes Helene and Milton caused mass storm damage.

You could be forced to rip out the work that’s been done, and after FEMA completes its post-storm review, if there is a large amount of unpermitted work, it could affect everyone’s insurance.

"I just want to emphasize the importance of doing permitted work and not only because you as the homeowner, will have an exorbitant fee and most likely will have to tear out whatever work you did," said Chaney.

READ: Big investors snatch up dozens of hurricane-damaged homes for sale

Chaney continued, saying, "More importantly than that, you're putting the entire community in jeopardy where FEMA will pull the community out of the national flood insurance program," Chaney said. "(This) means not only will there not be discounted flood insurance, but there're most likely will be no flood insurance."

Chaney said this will affect people's ability to get a mortgage and will negatively affect the real estate market in the Bay Area.

"Now you've got a cash market," said Chaney.

After Hurricane Ian, Lee County and towns like Cape Coral and Fort Myers Beach ran into trouble with FEMA.

Hurricane-Ian-related debris was in the Fort Myers area after the storm.

FEMA estimated that 25% of Cape Coral homes were not compliant due to unpermitted work, which could have cost residents and businesses millions in insurance.

READ: Manatee mangroves filled with hurricane-related debris

Even this summer, residents in Cape Coral were receiving mailings that the city could be suspended from the national flood insurance program. However, the city appealed and won.

Chaney said she doesn’t want that same fate for towns in Pinellas County.

Two years after Hurricane Ian, the city of Fort Myers Beach was just placed on probation by FEMA, impacting what homeowners and businesses pay in flood insurance.

"The result of that could be that you create a community where you only have cash buyers, no mortgage, and you know you're harming your neighbors as well as yourself," said Chaney.

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