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Proposed rate increases that could have taken effect Jan. 1 for customers of the state’s Citizens Property Insurance Corp. remain unresolved — with any hikes now unlikely to hit customers’ bills for months.The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation has not ruled on the proposal, which the Citizens Board of Governors approved in June. The proposal, for example, could lead to an average 13.5 percent rate increase for the most-common type of Citizens policy, known as homeowners’ multi-peril coverage.

A business recovery center is open at the Port Charlotte Town Center mall to assist residents affected by hurricanes Helene and Milton.

Sarasota County will get a new $210,094,000 allocation from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery to assist with recovery and mitigation efforts from Hurricanes Idalia, Helene and Milton and Tropical Storm Debby.The county created the Resilient SRQ program in 2023 to support Hurricane Ian recovery from the prior allocation of $201,535,000 in CDBG-DR funding. It assists the community in rebuilding homes, repairing infrastructure and addressing unmet needs from Hurricane Ian.

Phase II of the City of Sanibel's beach renourishment project at Lighthouse Beach Park has resumed. Crews will continue to place the remaining 105,000 tons of sand on the bayside of Lighthouse Beach Park to strengthen the beach coastline and protect the Sanibel Lighthouse.

A deadline is fast approaching to get money to pay for damages from hurricanes Helene and Milton. The Small Business Administration — SBA — is offering loans to businesses and people who had losses in the storms.

Turtle nest numbers were steady on Collier County's Keewaydin Island, but several storms disrupted hatchling success by almost half.

Nearly 3 months after Helene, survivors face bleak conditions in western North Carolina as the holidays rapidly approach

The Peace River Wildlife Center in Punta Gorda is moving forward and officials are hopeful that the facility's education center will soon be back open. They have removed buildings at the education center and will use temporary structures so they can bring the wildlife residents home and reopen. PRWC has resumed medical care at their hospital facility.