Hernando County to host hurricane preparedness and recovery workshops

Hernando County will open hurricane season with a practical warning and a place to get answers. The county’s Floodplain Department will host Hurricane Preparedness and Recovery Community Workshops on Monday, May 26, at the Hernando County Planning and Zoning Department, 1653 Blaise Drive in Brooksville.

County officials have scheduled two identical sessions to fit more residents’ schedules: one from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. and another from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The workshops are meant to help people prepare before a storm, understand safer recovery steps after damage and learn how the permitting process works when a roof, wall or other part of a home needs repair.

The timing is deliberate. Florida officials say the Atlantic hurricane season officially begins June 1 and runs through November 30, with the most active period usually coming from mid-August through mid-October. Hernando County is using the final days before that stretch to push residents toward the rules, paperwork and repair steps that often slow recovery after a storm.

The county says flooding can affect any home, not just properties in designated flood zones. That warning matters in a county that has already spent recent months dealing with Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Hernando County says it is still offering disaster assistance tied to those storms, including emergency materials to weatherproof damaged structures, interim repairs, debris removal, construction or repair of wells, help with insurance deductibles for storm-related home repairs and temporary rental assistance for displaced residents.

Hernando County also says it has received a federal disaster declaration for both Public Assistance and Individual Assistance related to Helene and Milton. On the county’s flood mitigation and recovery pages, officials point residents toward FEMA guidance on building back stronger and safer, underscoring how recovery can quickly turn into a code, permit and inspection issue if repairs begin without the right steps.

The county held a storm recovery town hall in late 2024 that covered property restoration, pre-inspection steps and flood-resistant construction standards. That background suggests the May 26 workshops will build on the same message: recovery starts before the first contractor shows up, and the wrong repair sequence can create more delays later.

County materials also point residents toward partners including United Way of Hernando County and Hernando County Housing & Supportive Services. For Brooksville, Spring Hill, Weeki Wachee and Ridge Manor residents, the workshops offer one of the clearest chances before June 1 to get county guidance in person and avoid costly mistakes after the next storm.