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00:00Welcome to Florida.
00:02Florida life, nothing quite like it.
00:04Home to theme parks, golden towns, and over 400,000 Brits.
00:08I absolutely love it here.
00:10Who've made the Sunshine State their new home.
00:13This is what sold me. Yeah.
00:15Like, because it's stunning.
00:16Who wouldn't want to live here like this?
00:18They've swapped drizzly winters and gas bills for new careers
00:21and seemingly endless fun in the sun.
00:24Cheers, Biggers!
00:26It's our little piece of paradise.
00:28Get it right and life in Florida can be like a dream come true.
00:32Every evening do this with your glass of wine.
00:35But getting here and staying here takes hard work.
00:38I do pinch myself every day.
00:41Grits. We just lost the starboard motor.
00:43And determination. Good job. Well done.
00:46These are the Brits who've made their own Escape to Florida.
00:54Today on Escape to Florida, horse whisperer Laura and her parents throw a 4th of July bash.
01:00We're having a party!
01:03And help one party goer with a surprise proposal.
01:06He's nervous. I'm nervous. I'm nervous enough for both of you.
01:11Publican Sean and his wife Onya's dream life on the water...
01:15I feel like a new man after being on the boat for a few hours.
01:19...is in turmoil after a hurricane devastated their home.
01:23The water started forming through the walls.
01:25You could hear gurgling, bubbling.
01:27Oh, man. I can't even describe it.
01:30And movie director Damien finds that shooting in the Florida Everglades...
01:34It's so beautiful, man.
01:35Every film should have a fog rainbow.
01:37...comes with a safety warning.
01:39We don't have alligators in Liverpool.
01:47Apollo Beach and Florida's Gulf Coast.
01:50Where having your own boat isn't a status symbol.
01:52It's a way of life.
01:56It's unassuming driving past the front of these houses...
01:59...but then when you throw around the side...
02:01...most people that like water will get a boat docked.
02:05Why not?
02:06Why live in the water if you're not going to take advantage of it, really, you know?
02:11Publican Sean and his wife Onya are both from Oma in Northern Ireland.
02:16But their paths didn't cross until they reached America.
02:21We actually met at JFK Airport.
02:24They started a family in New York...
02:27...but moved to the Sunshine State 25 years ago...
02:30...and now run the Salty Shamrock Pub.
02:33I was pregnant with our second child.
02:36We were right in Queens.
02:37Not the greatest place I didn't think to bring up a child.
02:40So we said, let's go down to Florida.
02:44It's been a while since I got this boat wet.
02:46The boat's name is Grace, the Celtic Queen.
02:51Here we go.
02:52That's her now, hey?
02:58Because of the weather, there's more opportunities here to do the things that we love to do.
03:03Fishing, boating, swimming, kayaking.
03:11Today, Grace, the 33-foot catamaran, is on her first voyage since being put in dry dock for safekeeping during
03:19the last hurricane season.
03:21The weather patterns here in Florida can be quite severe.
03:25Living on the water, you don't take nothing for granted.
03:29Six months ago, two hurricanes, Helene and then Milton, battered Apollo Beach.
03:36You look over there behind us, you see where the hurricane took the three out.
03:41He's lost part of his dock.
03:43There's two houses that have been totally demolished down here.
03:47There's a casualty of the storm, a sunken boat.
03:50We've never had a direct hit in Apollo Beach, not in 100 years.
03:53But we got smacked with two hurricanes within two and a half weeks, three weeks of each other.
03:59That boat could be from anywhere.
04:01That boat could be from St Pete, which is 25 mile that way.
04:05It could be from Tampa, which is about 15 miles.
04:07It could be local, you know, it could be from anywhere.
04:12When Helene struck, Sean and Onya were at home, directly in its path.
04:18Helene was such a huge storm.
04:21The noise and the wind, that's scary.
04:24You don't know if your roof's going to stay in your house, what you're going to lose outside.
04:28Helene devastated our home.
04:30We've been out of our house almost six months, as it goes through the process of being repaired.
04:37Sean and Onya's life has been turned upside down.
04:41So the run out in the catamaran is a welcome relief.
04:46I feel like a new man after being on the boat for a few hours, but we've got still so
04:52much to do.
04:53Whilst their boat can return home to the dock at their hurricane-damaged house, Sean and Onya remain uprooted in
05:00temporary accommodation as renovations continue.
05:04It's a two-bedroom condo.
05:05We were lucky we had it to go to, actually, you know.
05:08Many people had to stay in mobile homes, hotel rooms.
05:13We got the basics, we got a bed, and we have a bathroom.
05:17So consider ourselves blessed.
05:20I miss the house so much.
05:21I miss sleeping in my own bed.
05:23I miss cleaning the pool.
05:24This did the job for now, but you can't wait to get back.
05:27Especially for the head, you know.
05:29It's just been very, very unsettling.
05:32And what's worse, they're seeing less of their nine-month-old granddaughter, Margot.
05:37I can't have her over at the condo because it's small, she doesn't have a room of her own.
05:42Boxes.
05:43Boxes everywhere.
05:45Sean and Onya are doing everything they can to get back into their family home.
05:50You can see light at the end of the tunnel now, you know.
05:52Let's get this all done and make sure that Margot has a lovely home to come to when she's visiting.
05:58A new house, a new beginning.
06:04In Groveland, in central Florida, it's another busy day at the stables, run by Laura and her mum and dad,
06:13Diane and Huey.
06:15I'll start opening doors.
06:21Everybody gets soaked feed.
06:23We don't like anybody to get dry feed.
06:25So they don't choke.
06:27Some get lots, some get little.
06:31Huey and Diane ran a village post office and local shop back in Scotland.
06:36Before the draw of the Sunshine State saw them up sticks and moved to Florida with Laura 20 years ago.
06:42The post office opened her eyes about working for yourself.
06:47The setting up of a business is a lot easier here.
06:51Back home, there's so much red tape.
06:53We decided that we're going to sell everything and make the move over here so that there's no going back.
07:00In 2012, the family bought 65 acres to make a living from Laura and Diane's first love, horses.
07:09Tito, when you come, Baba.
07:11You next, babe.
07:14When I was just tiny, I used to pretend I was on a horse and I was always running, running
07:19and running and galloping and on a horse, on a horse.
07:22I just loved them.
07:24Huey is tasked with maintaining the whole estate.
07:28I've learned a wonderful phrase over the last 50 years, and that's, yes, ma'am.
07:38It's a big job.
07:39Besides the stables, the family also hosts weddings and are about to start hiring out Huey's very own Tiki Hut
07:47as a separate party venue.
07:49There's a lot of work involved. What a close family.
07:53We all just chip in and do what we have to do.
07:55The family are planning a big bash to launch their latest venture.
07:59We're having a party!
08:02We love parties at Huey's Tiki Hut.
08:06They're hosting a 4th of July celebration to promote the venue for hire.
08:11We left the UK 19 years ago and we've embraced the culture.
08:17You happy with that?
08:18Yep, that's better, yes.
08:20We're immigrants, but not only do we want to be part of it, but we want to provide our community
08:26with somewhere to come and celebrate.
08:29The party's free for the local community, but it's costing Laura and her parents $2,500 to put on.
08:37We are going all out. We want people to know who we are and what we do.
08:42It will be money well spent if they attract future bookings for the venue.
08:47There's an old saying that you have to speculate to accumulate.
08:51The venue is off the beaten track, so Huey's got the vitally important job of putting signs on the main
08:58road so party guests don't get lost.
09:05In the past we've had people who are running up and down this road here who don't know exactly where
09:11they are, so that's why I'm putting the sign and staging them all the way.
09:15They make it, and I don't mean this in a bad way, I make it idiot proof, make it idiot
09:19proof for me and everybody else will be fine.
09:27Job done. Party goers can't fail to miss that one, Huey.
09:31All the signs out, just heading back now.
09:36Oh, Huey.
09:38I've just run over the sign that I put up, did you notice?
09:42Yeah, we noticed Huey, we noticed.
09:44It's one of them days.
09:48Well, that's easily fixed.
09:50At least the refreshments for the party will make it back in one piece.
09:55What happened there?
10:02The groceries fell out the back of the car because I had the boot open.
10:08Hey, no use crying over spills. Energy drinks.
10:12I'm sure I closed up.
10:13It's back to the Tiki Hut to complete party preparations.
10:28On the Atlantic coast, an hour north of Miami's hustle and bustle, lies the more laid-back oceanfront community of
10:36Delray Beach.
10:38Known as Florida's village by the sea, it's a cultural home that draws artists and creators from all over the
10:45world.
10:48Including Liverpudlian film director, Damian, and his Floridian four-legged friend, Mookie.
10:54Mookie is my roommate, but she does not contribute towards the rent or to buying food or to picking up
11:02her own poo.
11:03That's all me.
11:04This is part of my morning routine.
11:07We bike and then go for a swim.
11:10We've been doing this every day for the last seven years.
11:12I really enjoy having Mookie in my life.
11:16I've travelled all around the US, on and off for 30 years.
11:19But Delray is special to me because I just love the interesting kind of art scene.
11:25I love the ocean.
11:30Boss bike, isn't it?
11:33I actually put about $1,000 into this bike over ten years.
11:37Because I keep having to replace stuff.
11:40For $1,000 I could have had a bike that wouldn't rust, but it's got so much character I don't
11:45want to buy a new bike.
11:51That's all.
11:51Damian first came to the US on a student study visa when he was 22.
11:57Hey, Mooks, wait for me.
12:00I studied photography at university in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
12:04Hey, Mooks.
12:08I'd always been creative. Even as a kid I used to write little short stories.
12:12And I was like, oh yeah, I could be a filmmaker. That would make sense. You put everything together.
12:18When he was 27, Damian got a big opportunity.
12:23I moved to New York City and got a job in the film biz.
12:29I lived in Manhattan. It was amazing. It was absolutely fantastic.
12:33But just a year later, his dream of making it in the movies was shattered.
12:39I took up rock climbing. I loved it, but I wasn't a very experienced rock climber.
12:43I clipped into the wrong rope. I stepped off and I fell 75 feet.
12:50Damian broke his back in the fall.
12:53I almost died. I didn't know if I was going to live for about three days.
12:56Didn't know if I was going to walk for four months. And it was scary. It was really scary.
13:02You want to go for a swim? Yeah.
13:06The sea swim is so important to me because I am partially paralyzed.
13:10I lost some of my bodily functions, so to pee I have to use catheters and I can't run.
13:18So that's my cardio is when I get in the ocean.
13:22It's just what makes me grateful to be alive.
13:27They put two 18-inch steel rods either side of my spine, so I feel it when it's cold.
13:34I'm much happier in the warm weather.
13:40Today, Damian makes movies and TV shows from his studio in Delray Beach.
13:46And he's working on a new feature film set in the Florida Everglades with his business partner, Ian.
13:53So the only way to get here is via kayak or paddleboard. It's just properly wild, you know.
14:00One of the things that we want to show people is the beauty of the nature here in Florida.
14:06Tomorrow, Damian is traveling to remote parts of the Everglades.
14:10He needs to find out if it's safe and practical for a crew of 30 people with all their camera
14:16and lighting equipment to film in.
14:18I'm excited because no one's shot a movie out here because everyone thinks it's too difficult.
14:23It's too difficult. Or too dangerous. Or too dangerous.
14:26We're going to the wilderness. It's not like being in Sefton Park in Liverpool.
14:30There's stuff out there that can kill you.
14:33Yes, there's alligators. Yes, there's snakes. It's also gigantic and beautiful.
14:38So let them think that they can't film out here and then we'll be the first.
14:42This is ambitious, but to stay in Florida, I have to run a successful business.
14:48So one of the things we're trying to figure out right now is how would we shoot this?
14:53I already messaged Benji to see if Mookie can come and he said no because she will get eaten by
15:03alligators.
15:04Oh, no Mookie for you.
15:12200 miles north in Groveland in central Florida, preparations continue at Laura and her parents' stables for tonight's 4th of
15:21July party at Huey's Tiki Hut.
15:24So it's going to be chicken, steak, hamburgers, hot dogs and ribs.
15:31While Diane confirms the menu with Chef Freddy, one of tonight's guests has arrived early.
15:38I have a long time without seeing him. Like two months. Yeah, three months.
15:43That's Rodolfo. His girlfriend's horse Blitz is stabled here and he has a favour to ask Laura.
15:49You know I want to propose to Avery. I do, yes.
15:54So I was talking to her dad. He told me, where is the place where you always see her happy?
15:59OK. And I said, with her horse.
16:02Ah, OK.
16:05Rodolfo met Avery over social media just four months ago.
16:09I saw where she's located.
16:12Miriam Kansat. I bought the tickets and I told her, OK, I'm visiting you next week.
16:17I immediately fall in love with her. I said to her, you are the one. I'm going to take you
16:22to Florida with me.
16:24She told me, OK, but if I move there, I have to move with my horse. I said to her,
16:28I got you.
16:31So, yeah, I was thinking about if we can do something here for her.
16:36But, like, kind of surprised, you know.
16:38Oh, my God. OK. You guys are coming to the party tonight, right?
16:42Yeah, but she thinks I'll be late because I work, OK. But the truth is I can come way, way,
16:48way earlier.
16:50We can hide you. That would be perfect.
16:53That sounds amazing. That sounds amazing.
16:55Cool. Oh, this is going to be fantastic. And she has no idea at all?
16:59No.
16:59Ah!
17:01Laura gets Huey and Diane on a case of organising Rodolfo's surprise.
17:06So, the game plan is he'll hide behind this screen and let's set something up behind.
17:12Like, we've got one of those big will you marry me things. Pop the screen and Rodolfo will be there.
17:17We'll just need to dig out the box with all of that stuff in it.
17:20Is that the royal we?
17:23That's the royal we, but could you go and do it within the next ten minutes?
17:27Yes, I can.
17:28Diane and Huey's own love story got off to a rocky start at a village football match back in Scotland
17:3553 years ago.
17:37I've got the ball, I'm running up the field and I got hit in the butt and it was like
17:43a big stone.
17:44And I'm saying, you know, she threw the stone at me.
17:51Why did you throw a rocket?
17:53Because he was the opposing team.
17:57These days, they're on the same team.
18:00If there's an event, it's us that does the decorating.
18:03Because we want to make sure that it looks good.
18:06We don't ever, ever, ever want to let anybody down.
18:09I wouldn't care if I was up to all hours of the night, as long as everything was perfect for
18:13you.
18:15That's one of my passions. I love to do all the foo-foo.
18:20I'll pull the screen up and just let Rodolfo walk out after I've said,
18:27is there anybody in the tiki bar called Avery?
18:34I nearly remembered that name, wouldn't I?
18:39If helping a friend pop the question whilst also launching a new party venue isn't enough to keep Laura on
18:45her toes,
18:46she's still on duty at the stables, where one of her horses is due a check-up with the dentist.
18:52Laura's amazing. Laura can juggle five, six balls at the one time, where me, I can't even walk and chew
18:59gum at the same time.
19:00This is Archer. Archer is the newest addition to their family.
19:05Archer came to us as a rescue. He had broken his coffin bone, the main bone in a horse's foot.
19:12Archer hasn't been ridden for 18 months because of his injury.
19:16So Laura needs to get him used to wearing a bridle again.
19:20But he's given her cause for concern.
19:23We could see when we put the bit into his mouth, he wasn't entirely comfortable.
19:27We need to make sure that there is nothing inside his mouth that's hurting him.
19:33Laura suspects it could be a problem with Archer's teeth.
19:36So she's called the vet to get to the roots of the problem.
19:40Right, Archer. Big smiles, please.
19:42Good lad.
19:45Horse's teeth continue to grow throughout their life, often creating jagged edges that can cause painful ulcers.
19:52The vet is looking to make sure that if there are any sharp points in his mouth, she is going
19:57to file them down and remove them.
20:02The horse is sedated. It's not painful to have their dental work done.
20:09But the noise is what normally makes the horse scared.
20:14After just 10 minutes, Archer has a fresh set of smooth pearly whites.
20:19This dental was definitely necessary because he had ulcers on the inside of his mouth, in the front and in
20:25the back, because the sharp points were everywhere.
20:28Archer's got the all clear from the vet to be tacked up with a bridle and take the bit between
20:33his teeth again.
20:33He was an exceptionally good boy. After being off, he is going to have his first ride.
20:4475 miles south, horses aren't the ride of choice in Apollo Beach. It's golf buggies.
20:54It's a street legal, yeah. It's a street legal. It's got to have a wiper. You got to have a
20:59sign on the back. And basically that's it.
21:03We would use the golf cart a lot to get around Apollo Beach. You can get to your doctor, you
21:07can get your grocery store, your dentist, the gyms, all in the golf cart.
21:12Normally they do 25, 27. This thing does about 37 mile an hour.
21:19I got it souped up.
21:20I love the golf cart as well. Apart from when I've just washed my hair.
21:24There's one of our neighbors there.
21:30Everybody needs a golf cart.
21:32Yeah. It's great.
21:34Publican Sean is on his way over to his hurricane-damaged home.
21:38While his other half, Anya, hangs back to work on their business accounts at their temporary condo.
21:44And keep the cash flowing for their repairs.
21:48Most of these houses got flooded.
21:51This was like a war zone for months after the hurricane because the whole streets were just covered in debris.
21:57This is a RV here. There are people still living in it. Yeah.
22:01Another one there.
22:03And this is the house here.
22:06Sean has been calling upon family and friends to help him with the renovations.
22:11We made a decision not to bring in a contractor because the prices were charged was just ridiculous.
22:16There was a lot of gougers. They knew they could charge whatever to help you out.
22:21I'm taking advantage of very vulnerable people.
22:23That's basically it.
22:24We had to watch out for those guys. So did most of it ourselves, you know.
22:30I've ripped out all this here.
22:33So we're just basically going to concrete this whole thing and pave it, you know.
22:38Every day there's always plenty of stuff to do.
22:41Before Hurricane Helene made landfall, Sean and Anya took the gamble
22:46of riding it out rather than follow evacuation advice.
22:50When you do get hit by a hurricane, sometimes it takes weeks to get back.
22:54Since we have a business, I wasn't prepared to wait that time.
22:58People called us crazy, but there's too many elements out there for us not to stay.
23:03And it got to the point when the water was coming in.
23:06If you did want to leave, you couldn't leave then. It was too dangerous.
23:10The water started in the front door first and then it started coming here.
23:13And then when you're up over your knees in water, there was not a lot you could do.
23:17So we opened up a bottle of wine and just watched it happen, you know.
23:23I had waves in my pool. It was white capping.
23:26It was the wildest thing you'd ever seen. And then the noise inside the house.
23:30The water started flowing through the walls. You could hear gurgling, bubbling.
23:34Oh my, I can't even describe it. We tried to save what we could in here.
23:40We lost a lot of personal belongings. We lost all our furniture.
23:44We threw out four containers full of debris.
23:50Back at the condo, Onya's still coming to terms with the personal and mounting financial cost of the hurricane.
23:58These are new things we had to replace.
24:00Oh my Lord, I lost so many books. That was one of the biggest heartbreakers right there.
24:04We lost the guts of personal stuff, probably anywhere from $75,000 to $85,000.
24:09The house, that's a whole different story.
24:12About a quarter of a million, all together.
24:16Touch base Friday with me, Sal, alright? I'll have some money for you.
24:19With bills to pay, Sean's keen for him and Onya to return home, even if renovations continue around them.
24:27There's still so much work to be done.
24:29But with two homes, there's only two of us.
24:31So it's of the utmost importance to get in the house now.
24:36As soon as we get running water, we can literally start moving boxes in.
24:39And I hope to God that we'll be living in this next week, you know.
24:57Liverpudlian film director Damian is in the Florida Everglades.
25:02He set off early from his home in Delray Beach, a hundred miles north, in search of filming locations for
25:08his new movie.
25:09People just don't know that this is what Florida looks like.
25:14They have no idea how beautiful it is.
25:19Damian's guide for today in the Pine Glades area of the Everglades is his friend Benji.
25:24A scientist and conservationist at the park.
25:28Alright, so this is going to be our stop?
25:33But some of the locals might make the areas they visit too dangerous for a film crew.
25:39You can get bit by a snake, you can just step on stuff.
25:42But I just like being barefoot, you know.
25:44I live by the beach, the soles on my feet are basically leather.
25:48Out of respect for my good friend Benji, I'm going to put some sneakers on.
25:55Damian needs to find and photograph stunning settings for scenes in his movie.
26:01The wildflowers, I think, are such a great kind of start.
26:04Because what do people think about when they think about the swamp?
26:07You know, muddy, scary.
26:09Yeah. None of this.
26:11None of this.
26:12I'm going to go over there because the sun is just about to come up.
26:14And the sun actually won't wait for us.
26:19I don't think it will anyway.
26:22It's so beautiful, Benji.
26:25Oh, there's that fog rainbow, Damian.
26:27Yeah, okay.
26:28Yeah.
26:29Fog rainbow.
26:31I don't know where fog rainbow is, Benji, but I want to get one.
26:39When the sun comes up, it throws these sun rays through this fog layer.
26:44It's a lot more golden than, you know, the rainbows that you see with the pot of gold.
26:48Yeah, there it comes.
26:50So beautiful.
26:53I love it. Damian's getting all the angles.
26:56We've lost him in the woods.
27:00In terms of location, this is ideal that the scene is three men beginning their journey,
27:06stepping out of the mist as the sun comes up.
27:10There's potential here for sure.
27:13But Damian also needs to ensure that FilmKit can be moved around on the terrain,
27:19and that it's manageable for him after breaking his back in his twenties.
27:24You know, I forget that I have a disability, you know, and my back will hurt at the end of
27:29a long day.
27:29We've had rain, but you can still stand on the ground, so it's not too difficult to shoot here.
27:36Where are we going next?
27:37One of my favorite places, and that is the swamp.
27:40Fantastic.
27:46At the stables in Groveland in Central Florida, guests from all over the local community are starting to arrive for
27:54the 4th of July celebrations at Huey's Tiki Hut.
27:57Hello, how are you? How's it going? Good to see you.
28:03Thank you for coming, darling.
28:04The first rule of having a party is invite the neighbours, and then they can't complain about the noise.
28:10Former Scottish Postmaster Huey has dressed to impress for the day that's in it.
28:15I've swapped the celt for this firework shirt, okay? But that's just for tonight.
28:24But daughter Laura's back at the stables, checking in on Archer after his dental work.
28:30How are you feeling? What's happening with this mess? Are you feeling better?
28:34Laura's somewhat of a horse whisperer.
28:37Do I feel good?
28:38And she's looking for messages in Archer's body language that tells her he's comfortable and able to take the metal
28:45bit of the bridle between his teeth.
28:48He's not showing any signs of being in pain.
28:51He's just let me know that he's happy, he's relaxed.
28:54So let's try and just seat it as far back as we can.
29:06Looking good. Looking good.
29:09You ready?
29:11Laura's happy for groom Tilly to take up Archer's reins for his first ride in 18 months.
29:19Stay there. Sit up.
29:22Hold him there and try and pick up the canter from there.
29:25Let him have a look, see what he thinks.
29:30He looks to be a wee bit more comfortable in the mouth.
29:34So he has given us the answer.
29:37He enjoys jumping. He likes doing what he's doing.
29:42Oh boy!
29:45Whatever we did with the dental work, he's a lot better.
29:50Do you want to leave it at that then?
29:54Ten out of ten.
29:55I had a happy horse.
30:00After a quick change, Laura joins Mum and Dad back at the Tiki Hut, where the party is well underway.
30:07How are you doing, Paul? Thanks for coming.
30:10All right. This is my nephew.
30:12Thank you, sir. Thanks for coming. Thank you.
30:14Hello, lovely.
30:15Hello, my darling. Give me two shakes of a lamb's capuche.
30:19Diane's free bar is proving very popular.
30:22I'm going to get more vodka because it's running out already.
30:28So is the food.
30:29Oh my gosh.
30:31And the Tiki Hut, as a venue for hire, is getting lots of interest too.
30:36Technically, we're taking bookings now, but this is our soft launch kind of thing.
30:40You know, it's gorgeous.
30:42Loads of people that I don't know, I haven't a clue who they are, but they're coming to the bar,
30:46they're loving it and saying, wow, I didn't know this place even existed.
30:50Anybody I know, I'll recommend this.
30:54It's like marketing for us, so we're hoping that brings some business in.
30:59See, the Scottish know how to party.
31:00We do.
31:02So far, the party's a big success.
31:05But Laura and her parents have also been enlisted to help their friend, Rodolfo, pop the question to his girlfriend.
31:12We have a surprise happen tonight that involves Avery.
31:15Oh, OK.
31:17So we need to watch for her coming in so that we can get ready.
31:21And he's got a touch of pre-proposal jitters.
31:24A lot of people, so...
31:26A little bit more nervous though, everything is good.
31:30He's nervous.
31:32I'm nervous.
31:34I'm nervous enough for both ears.
31:40Aw, man.
31:41A passing storm won't help Rodolfo's collywobbles.
31:46I hate the rain.
31:48I hate it with a passion.
31:50We had enough back home to last us a lifetime.
31:53We don't need it here.
31:56His girlfriend, Avery, is on her way to the party.
31:59And Rodolfo's hoping his proposal doesn't prove a washout.
32:04Happy for a new life.
32:13Back down in Apollo Beach, after six months in temporary accommodation, Sean and Áine are about to take their first
32:22small steps to get him back into their family home.
32:27We have the plumbing in now.
32:29That was the final thing we were waiting for.
32:31We're going to start slowly but surely moving our items and our personal belongings back to the house.
32:37They're returning what they managed to save from the hurricane.
32:40And Sean's loading all the essentials first.
32:44All my bourbons.
32:45Uh-oh.
32:46My collectors.
32:47Not much of it left.
32:52That will do.
32:53First roll of Minnie.
33:09Oh, I'm looking forward to it so much.
33:11I can't wait.
33:13I can't believe the day has arrived.
33:16It seemed like it was never going to get here.
33:22Fixtures and fittings are still going in.
33:24But when the work is complete, the house will be transformed.
33:30This house has just been completely remodelled.
33:32It was an opportunity after the storm to go in and cut everything.
33:36All the doors had to be replaced.
33:39And this whole bathroom here had to be gutted.
33:41This is the tub with the grandchildren and everything.
33:44I'll be washing small children in that.
33:47We loved the house we were in, but basically we turned a really bad, bad negative with the hurricane until
33:53the chance to build a house we really wanted.
33:56This is our entertainment wall.
33:59With the changes we're doing to the house, it's like a new home now.
34:02Hopefully in a day or two we'll be watching TV.
34:05Their dream home is emerging from the flood water, and Sean wants to keep it that way.
34:12Were we prepared for this? Absolutely not.
34:15This was definitely a wake-up call for us.
34:18I have to come up with a plan for future floods, you know, so we're going to block up this
34:24whole wall, completely close it in.
34:26Have windows, big windows, to maintain the view.
34:29All these were entryways.
34:31There's four of them just here in the body for water to get into the house.
34:35I'm eliminating these four and bringing it down to one door here.
34:39Trying to future-proof the house.
34:41We're not there yet.
34:42Our focus has been getting back into the house, the renovations.
34:45My excitement will be whenever I can jump in that pool and go on some Christy Moor and relax a
34:53bit, you know, without a conscience, without saying it should be working.
35:00When he's not fixing his house or lumping boxes, Sean runs the Salty Shamrock in Apollo Beach.
35:07Who's the baby? Where's the baby? Where's the baby?
35:12Where, after a long day, there's time to catch up with son Ogie, his wife Gabby, and granddaughter Margot.
35:19How's everything going?
35:20Not bad. We should be in there in the next day or two, and we can see the end of
35:25the line, hopefully.
35:26Come on over to Granby. Oh my goodness.
35:29We can't wait to see her in the pool.
35:32We'll start her wee swimming lessons. What do you think, Margot?
35:36She's thinking it's a great idea.
35:38Yeah.
35:39It's very, very important to make memories of Margot in this house.
35:42This is what we're working towards. It's just going to take a little bit more patience, and then we're going
35:46to get in.
35:47Cheers, everybody.
35:48Sláinte. Margot, cheers!
35:50Cheers!
35:50Yay!
36:06Down south, Liverpudlian movie director Damian is heading deeper into the Everglades with his friend and guide Benji.
36:14He wants to use the swamp as a location for his new film, but he needs to keep one eye
36:20open for any surprise appearances from the reserve's most famous predators.
36:24Big alligators, over 10, 12 feet, that you definitely need to be paying attention for.
36:32You ready to go swamping?
36:33Let's go swamp swamping.
36:35Yes, sir.
36:41Just right here, before we get into it, I might just take a couple of pictures.
36:47I'm really seeing pure wilderness right now, but I love the light bouncing off the water, and I could imagine,
36:55again, you know, my characters just walking through this.
37:01Visually, it's stunning, but it's quite difficult walking in this terrain for anyone. It's going to be a little bit
37:07more challenging for me.
37:15Man, I am so glad I have this stick.
37:25There are multiple habitats in the Everglades.
37:30It's important for me to showcase all of them.
37:34Go hard or go home.
37:36While Damien's been happily clicking away, Benji's expert eye has made a discovery.
37:42The middle of this sawgrass clump is cleared out, and something big went in there.
37:47You're right.
37:49Basically, they made the little home here.
37:51Right. This is probably a nice place to hang out, secluded from everything, for a few weeks, and especially, you
37:56know, the really big alligators out here.
37:58But yeah, this isn't fresh, so we're still all good.
38:01We're still all good.
38:03After being that close to an alligator's den, you'd think Damien would want to get back to dry land.
38:10But there's one final location he wants to see that might make a spectacular finale for his film.
38:18I may just sit down when I paddleboard.
38:20Because of my balance issues, I fall off a lot on paddleboards.
38:24I don't want to be falling off with the gators.
38:27Let's go, man.
38:33What's over there?
38:35Back to me, isn't it?
38:36Yeah, we can go over there.
38:37Just don't go over any 12-foot alligators.
38:40If you know that there are gators in the area, you have to be vigilant.
38:45Oh, something big moved in there.
38:48They're out here, man.
38:51You're not going to feed them.
38:53You're not going to take a selfie with them.
38:55You know, you just got to be sensible.
38:58Oh, there's one. There's a friend.
39:00It came up maybe 10 feet in front of me.
39:02We should leave them alone.
39:05Spectacular, man. It really is.
39:07This is very different from where I grew up.
39:10We also don't have alligators in Liverpool.
39:16After a successful day scouting beautiful locations,
39:19Damien is confident he can go ahead and shoot his movie.
39:24It was a really, really good day.
39:26Just phenomenal being out here, you know.
39:30When Damien fell from a rock face aged 28,
39:33he thought his dream of movie making was over.
39:37That one incident, you know, that one moment in time,
39:41completely changed the course of my life.
39:44It gives you a perspective that most people don't get.
39:4827 years on, Damien's not let his injuries call a wrap on his comeback.
39:54I can either feel miserable about this,
39:56or I can live life to the fullest.
40:04It's now been nine months since Florida was battered by two hurricanes
40:09in the space of a few weeks.
40:13In Apollo Beach, work on Sean and Anya's hurricane-damaged house
40:18is finally complete.
40:19They are fully settled back in to what has now been transformed
40:24into their dream Florida family home.
40:28Oh, who's that?
40:29And today, they're welcoming back a very special visitor.
40:33Who's that? Hello.
40:35Their granddaughter, Margo.
40:36Hello. Welcome.
40:39How are you going? Uh-oh.
40:41Look at you managing the steps.
40:43It's such a relief to be back in our own home.
40:47Yeah!
40:49Mwah!
40:50There's been a lot of blood, sweat and tears,
40:52but it's a whole new chapter now.
40:54Are you coming to swim? Are you going to the pool?
40:56Are you going to go into the pool?
40:57Shall we go and get your wee outfit?
41:05It's wonderful to have our pool back and to be able to take Margo in it.
41:09She just loves being in the pool, don't you?
41:11And you love Nana's glasses.
41:14Don't you?
41:15Margo, she's showing her wee personality now.
41:19She's such a delight.
41:20Hello.
41:21Who's coming in? Who's coming in?
41:24Papa.
41:24She started to say Papa now, which is pretty amazing.
41:30Where's he going?
41:32Boo!
41:35Ah.
41:39After months of renovations and upheaval, Sean and Anya can finally enjoy life in the Florida sun again.
41:47I really have missed this here.
41:49We can relax and let the hair down and just enjoy these hot, hot afternoons.
41:57We worked hard to get to this position.
42:01Are you going to get in?
42:02Yeah, I'll do it.
42:03Yeah!
42:06It wasn't easy, but we can look back and say, yeah, we did it.
42:14Whee!
42:14Whoo!
42:16We're very proud of this house and the home that we built.
42:20Oh!
42:23Ah!
42:24Hey!
42:27They said this was a 100-year storm, but you know it's going to happen again.
42:31Kick your feet, kick your feet, kick your toes!
42:35It could happen this year, or it might be another 15 years.
42:39If it hits again, we'll deal with it again.
42:41Is that good?
42:43That's good.
42:44That's good.
42:49In Groveland in central Florida, the sudden downpour hasn't dampened spirits at Laura, Diane and Huey's 4th of July party.
43:00It's so good.
43:01But the passing storm hasn't helped their friend Rodolfo's nerves before a surprise proposal to his girlfriend, Avery.
43:09Okay, she's right there.
43:12Ooh!
43:12Ooh!
43:14Well, if he says no, start crying.
43:17What else?
43:20Are you nervous?
43:21We're ready.
43:23The path of true love doesn't always run smoothly.
43:27Huey and Diane can certainly vouch for that.
43:30Diane likes an old Elvis song.
43:32True love travels on a gravel road.
43:35We've had their ups and downs and stuff like that.
43:37She said to me, if I had murdered you on the honeymoon, I would have been out a long time
43:42ago.
43:47Oh dear.
43:49Time for Huey and Diane to put their proposal plan into action.
43:53Hello!
43:54How are you?
43:55Come and get a drink, darling.
43:57What would you like?
44:01You're looking lovely.
44:03The rain's going to ruin my hair though.
44:04I know, I know.
44:05The rain's terrible.
44:06The rain's been terrible.
44:08I understand that there is a lady called Avery.
44:15Avery, could she identify herself?
44:19You want to step forward, please?
44:26There is a gentleman who would like to ask a question.
44:30For my real-life princess.
44:42I have been crying this whole time to find a special moment for you.
44:47Since the day that I met you, everything in my world changed.
44:51You became my best friend.
44:52You became my safe place.
44:55And today, I want to ask you if you want to be the rest of your life by my side.
45:02Will you marry me?
45:23I'm shaking.
45:24I had no idea anything was going to happen.
45:27Could I ask everybody to be up standing, please?
45:32And make a toast to Rodolfo and Avery.
45:40That was amazing.
45:42Amazing.
45:43Half a century after their own life together began, Huey and Diane have set another young couple on their way.
45:50You said this all up?
45:52Yeah.
45:53All of this?
45:54Well, Laura helped me.
45:56They're a couple now.
45:57It is the next chapter of their life.
46:00It really is.
46:01Knowing you've helped somebody at the last minute, that gives me a lot of satisfaction.
46:07It does make you feel proud.
46:08It does.
46:09You're like, wow.
46:12We are going to party till everybody's ready to go home.
46:15It could be Tuesday.
46:19It could be Tuesday.
46:21It could be Tuesday.
46:22It could be Tuesday.