Our family's story – one of love, connection, and deep-rooted family ties to our Baby Beach home in Lahaina for 45 years - turned into a heartbreaking loss when our beloved home was reduced to ashes in the Lahaina fires of 2023. Like many others whose homes were decimated by these fires, we found ourselves confronted by the cumbersome Special Management Area (SMA) requirements of the State of Hawaii, which are proving detrimental to our plans for rebuilding our home.

The SMA requirements have resulted in us shouldering additional costs amounting to thousands of dollars in consulting fees and permits, merely to rebuild our home to its original design and footprint. This is notwithstanding the immense emotional stress compounded onto the financial burden experienced by families like ours, as we juggle the daunting task of navigating through this complicated regulatory maze during our difficult journey of healing and recovery.

Moreover, these SMA requirements are not universal across all Hawaiian islands. For instance, on the Big Island, in the similar wake of the volcanic eruptions, residents were offered the option to "fast track" their residential rebuilds without such extensive regulation. We believe that Lahaina residents deserve a comparable approach. (Source: Hawaii County Planning Department)

We kindly urge the Hawaii Government and Governor Dr. Green to remove all SMA requirements for shoreline rebuilding of residential homes in the fire-damaged areas of Lahaina. Allow us to rebuild our homes, and help us to heal and recover from our loss without unnecessary constraints.

Join us to help affected families on their road to recovery, and call for fairness and sensible application of regulations. Please sign this petition to lend strength to our voices.