Almost four months later, Mexico Beach residents reflect on continuing recovery and expected changes from Hurricane Michael

Feb. 02--MEXICO BEACH -- At the end of January, Walton Kinsey was walking through a sandy lot in Mexico Beach. He was surrounded by debris, damaged buildings and the Gulf of Mexico.

His second home used to be at the lot and was cleared after Hurricane Michael. Almost four months later, Kinsey still was processing how the hurricane devastated the small waterfront town that used to be a quaint tourist spot.

"I came down after the storm to see it and I was like everyone else. I was shocked by what I saw," said Kinsey, who lives in Jacksonville Beach. "When I came here, I didn't know what to expect. Until you see it, it's not the same. I've been coming down here my whole life. A lot of these houses are '50s cottages. There's a lot of memories here."

Kinsey was one of several members of the Mexico Beach community who reflected on the continuing recovery and said the area could change after it is rebuilt.

Shawna Wood was at her house on Thursday and said dealing with her wind insurance company was her current biggest problem. Her house was damaged but she still is living in it. She owns the Driftwood Inn across the street from her home and is rebuilding the hotel.

"It's a struggle with finding workers and supplies," said Wood, who moved back into her house about a month after the storm. "You go for supplies, it's six weeks for windows and everything is kind of pricey."

Some Mexico Beach residents were fortunate, though. Rick Bragg said his house held up "really well" but seeing neighbors suffering and all the debris around is difficult to deal with.

"Our house was built in 2015 so it met all the hurricane standards. It didn't have any water in it," said Bragg, who added the biggest challenges for Mexico Beach are "getting rid of the debris, tear-downs, money. Our tax base is pretty much destroyed. Our tourism is hurt bad because we don't have any rentals. We don't have any hotels."

Putting everything back together will take a "couple of years" and people are helping each other, Bragg said. He predicted the area will come back "much, much better" and newer, "and that's not all bad."

Kinsey also thinks Mexico Beach will emerge from Hurricane Michael a new town after years of recovery. He did note progress has taken place but "seems so slow."

"This is going to be a whole different type of living now," Kinsey said. "The question is, when it's rebuilt, how will it look? And will it compare to small old-time cottages? I don't know. I think it's going to look different than it did but it seems like it's going to be a long time. I feel sad Mexico Beach probably is not going to come back as it once was. It's going to be different. It might be better."

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