DAYTONA BEACH SHORES, Fla. — It may only take one impactful storm to make a difference in a hurricane season, but Florida took two good impacts and one lesser one during the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season.

A disorganized storm crossed south Florida back in June before becoming Tropical Storm Alex just north of Grand Bahama Island.

The two largest were Hurricane Ian and Hurricane Nicole.

Ian hit Florida as a Category 4 hurricane on September 23 and was connected to 139 deaths, according to the Florida Medical Examiners (FME) office. Among those were 17 from Central Florida:

• Lake – 2
• Orange – 3
• Osceola – 5
• Volusia – 7

By contrast, FME said Hurricane Nicole, which made landfall on November 11, was responsible for five deaths. Four of those were in Orange County and one was in Duval County.

Both storms brought deadly amounts of wind and flooding to the Sunshine State along with costly coastal erosion that caused parts of buildings along the east coast to collapse.

Some residents who live in Volusia County remain concerned about the future of their properties as they wait for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to weigh in on a slew of permits for things like sea wall work.

“This is our family’s hard earned money for our homes, I want to pass on to my daughter one day, and all of a sudden I am seeing it getting destroyed,” said John Overchuck, a resident of New Smyrna Beach earlier this month. “We were literally feet from the entire thing falling into the water. We just want to protect it.”

On Wednesday, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced it would open a Mobile Disaster Assistance Center from Dec. 1 from 1 to 5 pm and on Dec. 3 from 10 am to 4 pm at the Allen Chapel A.M.E. Church in Daytona Beach to provide help for business owners.

With the hurricane season and general election both in the rearview mirror, lawmakers in Florida are preparing to reconvene for another special legislative session to tackle another issue exacerbated by the numerous hurricanes: insurance.

Newly elected Senate President Kathleen Passidomo noted in a press release that her family was personally impacted by Hurricane Ian and understood the importance of the work they need to accomplish, which includes addressing the insurance market and affordable housing.

“We need to recognize the changing needs as well as the varied demographics of a diverse, mobile and to a certain extent remote workforce,” Passidomo said. “We need affordable rental property for all income levels and family sizes. I want teachers, firefighters, and police officers and, frankly, all Florida workers to be able to live in the communities they serve.”

The special session will run from December 12 through 16 after the legislators are officially sworn in.