Hurricane Recovery

All eyes and ears were on the mayors of both Fort Myers Beach, Dan Allers, and Sanibel, Richard Johnson, when they recently shared island updates 7 months post-Hurricane Ian at a local commercial real estate meeting.

In the months after Hurricane Ian made landfall, residents in Fort Myers Beach, Pine Island, and Sanibel, Florida have struggled to navigate insurance claims, building permits, and government aid as they rebuild their lives.

Resiliency is the focus for the three town halls sponsored by the SanCap Citizens for a Resilient Future. The first townhall in March featured dramatic personal experiences of surviving the storm. The second townhall in April centered on how well the environment held up and how it possibly helped mitigate storm damage. A third townhall is scheduled for Monday, May 22 at Big Arts on Sanibel, with a focus on the emergency response.

In response to the widespread devastation caused by Hurricane Ian, the Lee County Recovery Task Force held another town hall in Lehigh Acres to get community feedback on community recovery and future resiliency needs.

Imagine more than $1 billion. That's how much government money is expected to flow into Southwest Florida in coming months and years. The money is supposed to pay for long-term recovery from Hurricane Ian. The massive influx of money has the potential to transform the area, and the ability of the region to survive future storms. Right now Lee County alone is slated to receive $1.1 billion from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Southwest Florida and municipalities are still trying to race the clock to repair damage that Hurricane Ian left behind. In Punta Gorda, crews trying to repair thousands of damaged seawall panels throughout the city to minimize damage.

Seven months after Hurricane Ian, residents and city officials of Arcadia and neighboring city Wauchula are working toward getting back to normal. Although the physical damage of the storm is not present, residents know what still needs to be done. While debris from the hurricane is now gone off the streets in both Arcadia and Wauchula, some roofs still have blue tarps and are in of need repairs. Residents are worried about the possibility of mold in their homes.

Lee, Collier, and Charlotte counties will share in $100 million in funding with 14 other counties that operate a storm water or wastewater management system that were impacted by Hurricane Ian or Hurricane Nicole.

With little comment Monday, the House Commerce Committee approved a bill (PCB COM 23-03) that includes proposals the full Senate unanimously passed last week (SB 250). In part, the bill would allow people to remain on their property as they rebuild after storms, require quicker approval of building permits and set more-exact time frames on removing destroyed boats from state waters.

Sen. Travis Hutson, R-St. Augustine, is sponsoring a bill that could increase scrutiny of insurance companies.