Matlacha

Matlacha fishing pier repair contract approved by Lee County Board of County Commissioners

Almost a year after Hurricane Ian made landfall in Southwest Florida, leaving so much destruction in its path, Jay Johnson, owner of Bubba's Roadhouse in Cape Coral, shares his storm story and struggles to rebuild with Karen Moore.

Projects in the state budget for Lee County included $51.67 million for Sanibel Causeway corridor repairs where Ian made initial landfall, $12.4 million for repairs in the Matlacha corridor and $6 million for studies on the Big Hickory Pass, Little Carlos Pass and New Pass bridges.

The Lee Board of County Commissioners voted Tuesday to ask the Florida Department of Transportation to incorporate a full replacement of the Little Pine Island Bridge as a part of the permanent repairs to Pine Island Road through Matlacha, which expedites the bridge construction and makes it more resilient to future storms as soon as possible.

Lee County’s Matlacha Community Park, which has been closed since Hurricane Ian due to damage, will reopen to the public with limited amenities at 7 a.m. Saturday.

Head of state Emergency Management and FEMA officials surprise Hurricane Ian victims on Pine Island

Andrew Jarosh found his Matlacha home in a shambles when he finally got a chance to survey what Hurricane Ian had wrought. However, he didn't count on the visitor that the storm dumped at his property.

The early completion of emergency road and bridge repairs for Pine Island was announced on Wednesday.

Three days after Hurricane Ian ripped through the communities on Pine Island, the coast guard organized a water-borne operation to help evacuate residents because the bridge that used to connect the island to the mainland is buckled and broken. Many residents want to stay.