MEXICO BEACH, Fla. — The new homes, painted in tropical shades of turquoise, turmeric and papaya, loom above the sugar white sand, perched on concrete and rebar columns that are at least 8 feet tall.
As the sun rises, families emerge, lugging beach chairs, buckets and fishing nets toward the sparkling waters of the Gulf of Mexico. They trudge past workers hammering nails into new homes, past concrete slabs, peeling linoleum kitchen floors and empty lots choked with weeds.
Four years after Hurricane Michael obliterated this blue-collar beach town — tossing tricycles, bathtubs and even entire homes — across the two-lane highway, recovery appears to be at the halfway point.
