Scott Bennett, a contractor who specializes in storm recovery, drives a skid steer, bottom, as he removes sand around 5 feet deep from the patio of a beachfront condominium in Venice, Fla., following the passage of Hurricane Milton, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024. Bennett said he had just finished digging out the same condominium complex after Hurricane Helene, when Milton buried it in an even deeper layer of sand. Before Helene hit, the Venice native said, he'd "never seen sand like this. Wind rain, water, but never sand." (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)