Fort Myers Beach

The Lee County Visitor and Convention Bureau (VCB) developed a four-stage recovery campaign to promote tourism in Lee County by spreading excitement as the current focus. “The goal is to show that the destination is bouncing back,” Tamara Pigott, the director of VCB said. “While things may not be “normal” just yet, there is still an opportunity to have an enjoyable experience and support the community they’ve so enjoyed visiting in the past.”

Lee County has begun a gentle push to help Hurricane Ian victims leave a tent city near Fort Myers Beach. Some of the people are starting their fifth month living under a bridge on the approach to the hurricane-devastated island.

The developers of Margaritaville Beach Resort hosted a topping off celebration to acknowledge the DeAngelis Diamond construction team and how Fort Myers Beach is progressing since Hurricane Ian hit Southwest Florida 114 days ago.

Retail, P.O. Box service and package pickup available starting Monday, Jan. 23

They're now the law. Governor Ron DeSantis came to Fort Myers Beach Friday to sign hurricane relief and property insurance bills, just passed by the Republican-controlled legislature. He also directed his administration to provide people with travel trailers as temporary housing in hurricane-damaged areas, despite lack of approval from the federal government.

Two and a half months after Hurricane Ian, remediation is set to begin Wednesday at the historic part of Fort Myers Beach Elementary School, according to Lee School Superintendent Dr. Chris Bernier. The Lee County school board now is mulling options on how to restore the school, and bring students back to the beach.

FEMA, SBA and city officials met with Fort Myers Beach residents who are struggling to navigate the rebuilding process.

All lanes of the boulevard were closed Thursday morning and expected to remain closed for several hours the Lee County Sheriff's Office said.

The biggest industry in Southwest Florida may be facing its biggest challenge ever: coming back from Hurricane Ian's catastrophic damage. Sanibel, Captiva and Fort Myers Beach sustained the worst damage, and they have to rebuild hotels, resorts and condos to rent to visitors.

Some charitable groups in Southwest Florida are getting donations for Thanksgiving meal giveaways in the middle of recovery from Hurricane Ian devastation. Some see it as a way to take joy in the holiday, while others dealing with severe damage or destruction from Ian say they're having trouble getting into a holiday mood.