Hurricane Recovery

County strikes agreement/waiver that allows them to pick up hurricane debris from commercial rights of way

More than 10 years of catastrophic hurricanes in the United States has led to an insurance crisis of sorts, especially in hurricane prone states. Florida Storms digital meteorologist Leslie Hudson has more.

"All of those people came together because they knew how important it was to get the kids back on the island and back in their school. So, I just feel really, really grateful,” said Principal Katie Fradley.

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

Counties publish hours and locations for filing permits; Manatee cautions about hiring contractors

WGCU's videographers visited Englewood and Manasota Key to explore the damage and to talk with residents as they recover from Hurricane Milton.

Manatee County reports that 300 residents and visitors were safely rescued and evacuated from Anna Marie Island, Palmetto and unincorporated areas of the county.

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.

The chief executive of Florida’s Citizens Property Insurance Corp. on Wednesday pushed back against financial questions raised by the chairman of the U.S. Senate Budget Committee, saying the insurer “will always be able” to pay claims.Citizens President and CEO Tim Cerio released a statement after Senate Budget Chairman Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., sent a letter Monday that cited a recent comment by Gov. Ron DeSantis that Citizens is “not solvent.” That came after Whitehouse in November requested financial information from Citizens and raised the possibility that the insurer could seek a federal bailout if Florida gets hit by a major hurricane.

The State of Florida has provided funds to the City of Cape Coral as part of the Hurricane Housing Recovery Program to assist residents impacted by Ian. The disaster-related funds are to be used to assist income-eligible applicants with payments of their insurance deductible amounts.