TREASURE ISLAND, Fla. — The morning routine for Samantha Schmidt begins with unlocking her family’s business renting cabanas and lounge chairs.

What You Need To Know

  • St. Pete Beach and Treasure Island's mayors have sent letters to President Trump asking for assistance in clearing red tape for hurricane recovery

  • Both mayors, in their letters, claim federal bureaucracy has slowed down the process for people to return to their homes

  • After seeing Trump's pledge to speed things along for California and North Carolina, these two mayors are hoping he'll do the same for Florida

“Grandpa Clyde,” she said. “Actually, I was about to say, well, he built a house here after they had cleared some land over here on the Isle of Capri and then we’ve been out here since 1955.”

Her family has been running Taylor Beach Service for decades on Treasure Island, offering spots of respite all year long.

“We’ve had a lot of families that come from all over the world that have been coming now for well over 39 years,” Schmidt said.

Recently, she says, the customers have become few and far between.

“We’ve had quite a few days where we’re lucky to see maybe one person kind of come out and rent,” Schmidt said.

While cold weather has played a role, she says Hurricane Helene has been a major factor in getting people back out to the beach.

“It’s horrible,” she said. “It’s heartbreaking.”

She says her brother-in-law got several feet of water in his home and numerous friends and loved ones lost everything in the storms.

Many of them, she says, still haven’t been able to rebuild.

“There’s so many people that are worried about losing their homes or people that are selling their homes off just to try to survive because, you have FEMA that only lasted for so long, and that’s if you could find a hotel,” Schmidt said.

Alleged red tape is what Treasure Island Mayor John Doctor and St. Pete Beach Mayor Adrian Petrila are hoping to alleviate as soon as possible.

Both of these gulf coast mayors sent letters to President Trump within the last few days pleading for some assistance from the federal government after seeing Trump pledge a speedy recovery for North Carolina and California.

In Doctor’s letter, he commends the President’s words, saying in part, “Our residents have been willing and able for months now to do the necessary repairs to return to their homes and restart their lives. FEMA regulations and bureaucracy stand in our way.”

“I’m glad that things are finally being pushed,” Schmidt said, “just because for it to be so long, I mean, it’s devastating to not only our communities, but for our tourists, we are as a tourist based.”

The sooner things can rebuild, the sooner more people can enjoy the beach and enjoy the work Schmidt’s family has spent decades building.