Government

Fla. Gov. Ron DeSantis said the Lee County Electric Cooperative is moving too slowly restoring power to its customers in the hardest-hit communities in Southwest Florida after Hurricane Ian and needs to ask for more help in terms of mutual assistance.The governor said the LCEC needs to accept help from mutual aid groups in hard-hit areas like Cape Coral, North Fort Myers, Sanibel, and Pine Island. National agencies such as the Florida Electrical Cooperatives Association on Sunday morning said it remained ready with resources from its members around the state willing to come in and help.DeSantis’ reaction came after a briefing at the State Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee on the efforts to restore power in Southwest Florida.DeSantis learned the Florida Power & Light said more than 45% of their accounts in Lee County were back on, but the LCEC reported power restored to just to 9% of their customers, which represents about 18,000 out of 183,000.

A report from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement placed Lee County at the forefront of deaths from Hurricane Ian with 30 of the 44 confirmed thus far.

Several Florida counties were added Saturday to the disaster declaration for Hurricane Ian that began Sept. 23, enabling more Florida businesses and residents to be eligible to apply for the Small Business Administration’s low-interest disaster loan program.

Charlotte County Emergency Manager Kevin Fuller encourages residents to sign up for CharCoCares to stay informed during the recover process.

HURRICANE IAN: Government-related information

For nearly 40 years, high school students in Collier County have been given the opportunity to learn about their county’s government through a program called Know Your County Government. They get a first-hand look at the work being done behind the scenes in their community.

Senate Bill 90 passed in the Florida Senate and was signed by Governor DeSantis last May. Its provisions amend the state election laws to, according to the Senate website, “improve election security, transparency, and administration.” Here’s what you should know about the bill before the state elections this fall.

The 2020 U.S. Census data shows that Fort Myers has not only grown in population, but that its composition has changed drastically too, with a significant bump in diversity.

The City of Fort Myers will begin hosting redistricting public meetings starting December 2, 2021. Find out how to participate in the process to update the City's Ward boundaries based on the the 2020 Census results.

The Lee Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday voted to move forward with Map Alternative 5 as the selected map for the 2021 redistricting process. One commissioner openly expressed his disappointment in the decision, and advocates wanting to reunite Dunbar and Fort Myers say a lawsuit may be incoming.