ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. — For nearly two months, a St. Pete Beach business owner has been waiting for insurance checks to rebuild her business.

What You Need To Know

  • Fit for Life suffered significant damage from Hurricane Helene. 

  • To continue rebuilding, the insurance checks need to arrive. 

  • Sent on Jan. 23, they were supposed to arrive after seven to 10 business days. 

Despite reaching out to her insurance company and the United States Post Office, they still haven't arrived.

Carol Hollenbeck, the owner of Fit for Life, said flooding from Hurricane Helene ruined 90% of her equipment and made the building uninhabitable.

In the months since, they've made great strides and they're ready to take the next step in rebuilding.

Before that, she needs the checks from her insurance company.

They told her they were mailed to her on Jan. 23 and would take seven to 10 business days to arrive.

"The longer we wait the harder it is to come back for a business," she said. "I'm ready to rebuild. I've got the green light from the city and my contractors are all lined up or ready to go."

Hollenbeck said she never had this kind of issue before, but with their local post office closed, the mail is heading to a different location.  

"I started reaching out to the insurance company probably three weeks after I hadn't received them," Carol said. "They said just wait, because it's being forwarded. I waited. I checked on them weekly."

Hollenbeck said her insurance company has since canceled the checks and recently resent them. She is still waiting for them to arrive.

Spectrum Bay News 9 reached out to the USPS and they sent a statement.

"The safety and well-being of postal customers and employees is a priority for the Postal Service. The St. Pete Beach Post Office is a leased facility, and we are continuing to work with the landlord to quickly resolve all facility-related issues and resume service as soon as possible. A final timeline for completion of work is not available at this time, but this remains an area of intense focus for local postal leaders. In the meantime, St. Pete Beach customers can continue to use the temporary alternate site of the Gulfwinds Post Office at 4222 22nd Ave S, Saint Petersburg, FL 33711. 

The Postal Service will continue to provide updates as soon as additional information becomes available. We thank our valued customers for their continued patience."