After Hurricane Helene devastated the Gulf Coast, the battle to get back inside of homes continues more than three months later with frustration mounting over delays in getting permits and the impact of FEMA’s 50% rule. "This says stop work,” said Ed Benson pointing to a sign posted on the door to his Gulfport Home, which he hasn’t been staying in since late September. Last month, code enforcement told him he had to stop repairing it until he got a “substantial damage letter” from the city, determining the scope of the damage. “In emergency times, we people need to get back in, and so, that's what we were doing,” Benson added, saying he paused repair work, which included drywall, mitigation and more. Eventually, he got a substantial damage letter, two of them in the mail, on the same day. “I got one for 52.1% damage, and the other was 31% not substantially damaged. So I questioned the city,” he explained, adding that the city told him the 31% assessment was not complete and didn’t include damages to HVAC and electrical. MORE: https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/pinellascounty/frustration-homeowners-permit-delays-fema-50/67-16f1ccfb-5df0-4940-8cdd-ddbd79db7768