Hurricane Ian

The Lee Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday received an update on the progress of building the new, larger and more resilient Fort Myers Beach Pier that accelerates the planned completion of the project.The estimated completion date of the pier is now in August 2027, ahead of the previous planned completion in summer 2028.

The City of Fort Myers will build two new water wells, using nearly $15 million that was awarded to the city last September. The money is part of a $1.1 billion grant from the federal Housing and Urban Development Community Development Block Grant—Disaster Recover (CDBG-DR). The money was allocated following Hurricane Ian to help Lee County with long-term recovery.

The human services organization FISH of SANCAP will participate in Elevate Florida, a new statewide residential mitigation program designed to help homeowners strengthen their properties against future hurricanes and floods. The Florida Dept. of Emergency Management (FDEM) announced the launch of Elevate Florida on Feb. 7.

More than two years after Hurricane Ian devastated the island, Fort Myers Beach is a sea of construction and new developments. Not everyone is pleased. With so much change in so little time, some feel that the town is moving away from its small, coastal community roots.

Homeowners who have elevated their homes after hurricanes in Florida will share experiences. All welcome.

SanCap Resiliency survey shows residents taking climate change very seriously

It's actually called Vibrio vulnificus, and a range of peer-reviewed academic papers are reporting the infectious and deadly bacteria is prevalent on Southwest Florida beaches due to climate change, warming oceans, and its endemic population. `````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````

Projects will design facilities on Sanibel Causeway Islands and Punta Rassa Boat Ramp.

Hurricane Ian made landfall in Southwest Florida at the small island of Cayo Costa on Sept. 28, 2022. As we approach the two year anniversary, we having a conversation with a group of Sanibel Island residents to hear their stories about Ian, and what has unfolded since — and how the island community has become more connected because of what they all experienced together. Every single Sanibel resident, and every single property, was impacted by the devastating storm. But, from what we’ll hear today, it seems the Sanibel spirit and sense of community has only been strengthened by this experience.

FEMA has announced an extension in its housing program from Hurricane Ian.