Jim Turner and Tom Urban/News Service of Florida

The number of people traveling to Florida during the second quarter of 2023 decreased compared to a year earlier, according to estimates released Wednesday by the state’s tourism-marketing agency.

As the 2023 hurricane season starts, memories are still fresh of Hurricane Ian causing billions of dollars in damage and pushing water across Southwest Florida barrier islands.The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is forecasting a “near-normal” 2023 hurricane season, which will begin Thursday. One positive sign is that forecasters say odds are improving that a potentially significant El Nino weather phenomenon will form soon, which typically means weaker hurricane formations in the Atlantic.