Support Darrin and Ian's Hurricane Recovery

Dear Friends,

I met Ian Maki in grad school in Seattle almost 20 years ago and met Darrin shortly after when they showed up to a mutual friend’s birthday party (themed, of course!) absolutely nailing “Afternoon Delight.” And what a delight they are–I was immediately smitten, and have had the supreme luck of remaining a part of their expansive constellation of friends since those early days. Several years ago, I was fortunate to visit them in the early days of the Firefly Cottages, and fell in love with their home and the gorgeous slice of heaven they had built there.

If you’ve even met Darrin and Ian, you know they don’t do anything by halves, and the Firefly Cottages are testament to their passion, vision, and commitment to community. But in some profoundly unfunny cosmic twist, they’ve found themselves on the receiving end of a third devastating hurricane over the course of just over one year.

Hurricane Idalia ravaged the Firefly Cottages in August 2023 but their good friends, Maggie and Chaz, quickly started a GoFundMe, rallying the support and generosity of friends and compassionate strangers, and providing them with a critical infusion of funds that allowed them to quickly repair the damages and reopen the cottages–mostly.

Idalia was a stern teacher with costly lessons, ones that saved them when Hurricane Debby swept by in August. But, compared to Hurricane Helene, those two were cake walks. When Helene tore through Cedar Key on September 26, she brought with her an additional three feet of surge water, essentially destroying the infrastructure of the entire island community, including the Firefly Cottages. Having past experience with hurricanes, Darrin and Ian sought high ground on the island with the intention of quickly beginning recovery efforts as soon as the surge water receded. Sadly, the extent of the devastation from the excess surge has dashed any hope of a quick recovery.

Darrin and Ian are struggling with the grief of losing their home and seeing their dreams literally in shambles—the cottages are all damaged, some critically, several utility structures completely destroyed, and most of the beautifully curated contents of the cottages likewise ruined. And they are struggling with the day-to-day challenges of an overwhelmed and hurricane-ravaged community, further complicating recovery efforts.

This recovery will be so much more complex than before—in fact, the days without water and power make it difficult for them to even assess the full extent of the damages, let alone be able to start cleaning, repairing structures, and replacing furniture. The future of the Firefly Cottages remains uncertain and while Darrin and Ian are resilient, they need help, and FAST. Last year’s hurricane repairs and loss of revenue ate up much of their savings; Hurricane Helene threatens to eviscerate what little they have left.

They plan to repair and rebuild but know it’s not feasible without help. They have set a goal of $80,000, hoping to leverage local resources, FEMA relief, and other resources but those won’t meet that goal. Let’s help them cast a wide net so they can crawl back from this disaster.

Please, if you have the means, consider supporting Darrin and Ian right now. Any amount you can afford would be incredibly appreciated. Please also share this campaign widely. Let’s get them back on terra firma!

May the spirit of Firefly rise again.