A draft of the bill, which will be presented during a special legislative session that starts Monday, would allow property tax refunds to those who were forced from their homes for more than a month.

About 200 people attended a Lee County civic association meeting to talk about the issues they continue to face more than two months after Hurricane Ian. While state and federal officials were there to hear them out, county officials were noticeably missing.

The deadline to apply for financial help from Hurricane Ian is now Jan. 12.

The wooden structure is between 80 and 100 feet long and was found in front of homes that collapsed on Daytona Beach Shores last month from Hurricane Nicole.

Tropical Storms Ian and Nicole uncovered an 1800s shipwreck on the beach where it was first discovered in 1987.

In addition to home repairs, the money will address unmet needs such as transportation, food assistance, housing aid, clothing and household goods.

The Thomases live on 72nd Drive East in northern Sarasota, an area that was spared the worst of Hurricane Ian in late September. But their tree debris hung around for more than two months.

Work on getting FEMA trailers set up for disaster victims in Southwest Florida could last until well into summer, an agency spokesman said.

Some shops and restaurants have cleaned up and reopened, but others along the beaches will take longer to rebuild and open again.

Hurricane Ian dealt a major blow to Florida’s already crippled property insurance market. The Category 4 storm is expected to go down as one of the costliest in U.S. history, and that’s expected to drive more of the state’s private insurers out of business.

Phil Klotzbach, senior research scientist at CSU’s Department of Atmospheric Sciences, said he characterizes this season as “the most abnormal, normal hurricane season on record.”

Small business owners in the greater Tampa Bay region and nearby counties are approved to receive $900 million in lending — so far — to help in recovery from Hurricane Ian.