FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. — Tuesday marked six months since Hurricane Ian slammed into south Florida. The Category 4 storm killed 160 people and caused $113 billion in damage.

Spectrum News’ Holly Gregory visited Ft. Meyers Beach last week to see how they are recovering.

It’s a struggle. People are exhausted. And Florida’s property insurance crisis is making it even tougher.

State data shows that of the more than 700,000 insurance claims from Hurricane Ian, roughly a third have been rejected or remain unpaid. That is despite the fact that insurance companies in Florida are supposed to settle claims within a 90-day window.

That window closed in December and yet people are still in limbo, and on Ft. Meyers Beach, where 97 percent of the structures on the island were damaged, lives are on hold. Many people are living in RVs on their property, waiting for insurance pay-outs.

Holly spoke with the vice mayor of Ft. Meyers Beach, who says people are desperate.

“Holly, these people, literally their whole lives are centered around when is their claim gonna be handled and when is it gonna be paid? And they can’t really move forward until that happens,” said Jim Atterholt. “And that’s the real tragedy of this, and nobody is talking about extraneous cost or fees. We're talking about just pay the legitimate claim.”

Holly even talked with one couple who said their check was so insulting, they didn’t bother to cash it.

Laurie Carroll and Kim Staehle showed Holly where their dream home used to be.

“We bought a fixer-upper here cause we love the community and we just pretty much finished it and the hurricane came,” Carroll said.

“We pretty much had renovated everything. We had just finished two beautiful bathrooms,” Staehle added.

And then came Ian. The hurricane obliterated the home into pieces.

“I mean the emotional turmoil. We were just coming down the street and we were taking some pictures. It was tough. It was really, really hard for both of us," Staehle said.

Their home was gone, but they were fully insured.

“So we thought we’re gonna be OK. We’re insured and we will rebuild. A lot of time went by, lot of hours on hold,” Carroll said. “And then we got a check. We got a check for $107.

“Not $107,000,” she said. “One hundred and seven dollars.”

Their new reality is living in an RV and trying to stay positive. They say they have to laugh to keep from crying in their new tight quarters.

“Our goal is not to live in it forever, and we have four of everything,” Carroll said. “Four cups, four knives, four forks, no guests, no dishwasher. No washer-dryer. When we get invited to dinner somewhere, ‘Can we bring a load of laundry?’”

Tuesday marked six months since Hurricane Ian hit Ft. Myers Beach and other locations. (Spectrum Bay News 9)

When it gets too cramped inside, they go outside to their tiki hut, which survived the hurricane.

“This is amazing that this survived,” Carroll said. “So we’re wondering if we should have a thatched house?”

They have hired an attorney to fight for more money.

“We’re not gonna let these insurance companies get away with it,” Staehle said. “It’s not right. And what they are doing to the citizens on the beach. It’s just a grave error, and we’re gonna be at the front of the line and we’re gonna make it right.”

They are fighting to rebuild their dream home, and when they do, Laurie and Kim said they plan to frame that $107 check.