I recently realized that the first 70 years of our lives were like pre-requisites to the education that we got in 2025. I remember registration for college was the most challenging task for me. It reminds me a lot of applying after the flood, for FEMA and SBA assistance. My master’s degree in business administration happened a long time ago, but my long-term memory is still sharp. I passed the CPA exam on the first try (only 5% did) and worked with three major CPA firms for a total of 7 years before I found publishing magazines as a career opportunity.
Hurricane Helene’s visit on September 26, 2024, surprised us and many of our neighbors with 2-8 feet of flooding of 70-year-old, single-story homes, almost all of which had never flooded before. Since then, we have all been scrambling to learn what aid is available, how to deal with FEMA, SBA, mortgage and insurance companies, permitting, and how to affordably bring our homes back from having been flooded. After 10 days evacuating with family, we were treated to a Pass-a-Grille vacation rental, courtesy of our long-time friend, realtor and mortgage broker, Joan Walker. Then, thanks to Florida’s first lady, and 1-833-GetHope, we were connected through the Florida Department of Emergency Management to the Tidal Basin Group, who hosted us for two months at the Staybridge Suites, with meals provided daily.
I visited the nearby Disaster Recovery Center four times, asking FEMA agents there to upload documents to my account, and eventually asked for Rental Assistance, which we were awarded. My aunt Marianne in Bridgeport, Connecticut, introduced her bridge partner, Trudy, who owns the unit we have been renting on the eighth floor of The Beacon, a great, older condominium building in downtown St. Petersburg. My experience as a CPA gave me the ability to navigate the challenging requirements needed for these tasks. Some of my neighbors were already back in their homes months ago through the city’s minimal renovation program. Sounds of renovation still come from many others. Others are preparing for demolition. Still others have no visible change. When people hear about our having spent a few hours on the roof during a hurricane, they want to feel sorry for us. We tell them not to. That level of excitement is hard to find at our age. The educational challenges this year have been amazing, and we are going to end up essentially with a new home, with the renovation mostly paid from flood insurance proceeds.
In the meantime, our incredible team has allowed us to share our lessons in the last 10 issues and provide ads from companies we vetted personally. In addition to the print magazine, we have an active website that holds the last 10 years of local history, and hosts our weekly digital newsletter, published each Thursday with a reminder about the top five events each weekend and more. You can subscribe for free. If your magazine did not come in the mail and you would like it to, you can also buy a 1-year, 2-year or 5-year subscription for under $2 per copy. Thanks for reading Paradise NEWS and telling us how much you love what we do for you. Wishing you and yours the best this holiday season!