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Neil Durrant moved to Charlotte County in 2019 and it didn’t take him long to learn about Hurricane Charley.“It was one of those central moments,” he said. “There was before Charley and there’s after Charley. Charley wasn’t just an event, it is always going to be a big part of Punta Gorda’s history, Charlotte County’s history. It’s always going to be one of those standout moments.
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The FEMA decision will impact a majority of federal flood insurance policy holders in Lee County.
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Lee County as a whole had its property values raise 6 percent over last year. For Fort Myers Beach it was 48 percent.
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A nonprofit group that shepherded rebuilding in Harlem Heights after Hurricane Ian inundated the south Fort Myers neighborhood in 2022 recently declared: Mission Accomplished.Adventures in Missions helped residents of 258 homes and partnered to rebuild 176 homes along with hosting more than 5,000 volunteers to support hurricane recovery, said Chris and Sarah Horvath, disaster relief leadership for the interdenominational organization.
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A property-insurance company has agreed to pay a $1 million fine after a state review found it violated claims-handling requirements following Hurricane Ian, according to an order signed Thursday by Florida Insurance Commissioner Michael Yaworsky.The order and a report issued in March said Heritage Property & Casualty Insurance Co. violated state insurance laws, including by not promptly acknowledging that it received communications about claims, not paying or denying claims within a 90-day timeframe and not maintaining complete claims records.
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Lee County's Board of County Commissioners approved an agreement Tuesday for the restoration and nourishment of more than 5 miles of Estero Island beach. The county's portion of the interlocal agreement with the Town of Fort Myers Beach is based on a percentage not to exceed $9.2 million, funded through tourist development tax.
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State data released last week showed that 776,941 insurance claims had been reported from Hurricane Ian, which made landfall in Southwest Florida in 2022 and crossed the state.
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Estimated insured losses from 2022’s Hurricane Ian have neared $21.4 billion, with about 6 percent of claims remaining open, according to data posted this week on the state Office of insurance Regulation website.
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All Lighthouse Beach Park parking lots on Sanibel will be closed for contractors starting April 22 to replenish the berm at the lighthouse. Work is expected to be completed by May 1.
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Lee County originally received a 30-day extension to provide documents to FEMA by May 9. A new extension the county received Friday puts June 10 as the new deadline for document submittal.