Shattered survivors of Florida's twin hurricane horror are asking: is this the death of paradise? 

Because residents in idyllic beachside communities smashed twice in just two weeks by the unstoppable forces of Helene and Milton are confronting a realization – the beauty may not be worth the beast if you live on the state's stunning Gulf of Mexico coastline.

In Anna Maria, on the northern tip of a thin barrier island of the same name, 28 miles from Milton's landfall in Siesta Key last week, streets remain covered in deep sand and huge mounds of household debris are piled outside houses.

Recently-constructed McMansions worth $16million-plus mingle with more modest homes built before the community's lure to the super rich. Many of the smaller houses are also worth millions, due to the land.

Street after street are testimony to the terrifying seven-foot storm surge of Helene that washed through mercilessly and the 105mph winds of Milton that ripped off roofs.

Larry Kerr stood outside the house he has owned with wife Jean for 40 years – a brightly painted 1960s single story home just yards from the waterfront – and admitted it might be time to call it quits.

'I always said if a hurricane happened I was just going to have this place demolished and put up a for sale sign and walk away,' he told DailyMail.com exclusively. 'Well, we've survived two in two weeks.

'Now I'm thinking I'll give it one more shot. But if this happens again, I'm starting my demolition fund.'

Kerr, a 70-year-old Floridian born and bred, continued: 'It's just too much. We're not going to go through getting back on our feet yet again. Here, the value of the property is not the house, it's the dirt it's sitting on.'

The Kerrs rode out Helene, which killed 227 in multiple states, and were lucky to escape with their lives as the wall of water engulfed their home. 'It was up to my hips in the house, the road here looked like a raging river,' said Jean.

Her husband added: 'Our refrigerator inside went floating by us inside. And you could literally take a ride on the couch because it was also floating in the living room. My year-old truck was underwater and it's totaled.