When a hurricane sets its sights on Florida, storm-weary residents may think of catastrophic wind, hammering rain and dangerous storm surge. Mounds of sand swallowing their homes? Not so much. When a hurricane sets its sights on Florida, storm-weary residents may think of catastrophic wind, hammering rain and dangerous storm surge. Mounds of sand swallowing their homes? Not so much. That’s the reality for some after Hurricanes Helene and Milton clobbered Florida’s Gulf Coast with back-to-back hits in less than two weeks. "It's the price you pay to live in paradise," said Bill O'Connell, one of the board members for Bahia Vista Gulf. O'Connell noted that the beachfront property was already repairing damage from Hurricane Helene before Milton was announced to make landfall again. Storm surge as high as 10 feet swept mountains of sand into communities. The fine, white sand helps make Florida’s beaches considered among the best in the world. But the powerful storms have turned the precious commodity into a costly nuisance. It's creating literal barriers to recovery as residents dig their way out and grapple with what to do with all that sand.