SARASOTA, Fla. - Friday will mark one year since Hurricane Helene's storm surge forever changed parts of the Tampa Bay area – including Sarasota County .

Hurricanes Helene and Milton brought some of the worst damage seen in decades. One year later, there are many signs of hope and resiliency.

Local perspective:

A year's time makes all the difference for those on Casey Key. Hurricane Helene brought a mess, but Hurricane Milton left damage that had never been seen.

"In all the 40+ years that we have been here, that is the worst damage that we have ever had," said Tekla Dragan, the owner of The Beachcomber on Casey Key.

"It at first felt like catastrophic. We couldn’t imagine the amount of damage. Couldn’t see anything green, the buildings were covered in sand. You couldn’t see t

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