Melissa Montoya

Pine Island reopened Wednesday afternoon. At a press conference earlier in the day, Gov. Ron DeSantis said work on Pine Island Road was nearing completion. “Emergency vehicles are going to start going across in about an hour,” DeSantis said during a press conference on Matlacha. “Later today, the public will be able o access this […]

Hurricane Ian’s destruction is intensifying the need for mental health services in Southwest Florida. NAMI Collier County is reporting that calls to the Warm Line Center skyrocketed during the storm and continue to go up. The agency, with help from programs across Southwest Florida, staffs the statewide Warm Line, a peer-run hotline that offers callers […]

An insurance village has been set up by Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis at the Florida Department of Financial Services to assist residents with insurance claims. The insurance village operates daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Port Charlotte Town Center Mall parking lot, 1441 Tamiami Trail, Port Charlotte. Homeowners who need to speak with an insurance expert can […]

The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating at least two hurricane-related deaths in Hardee County. According to troopers, on Friday, in the aftermath of Ian, an SUV was traveling on flooded Sweetwater Road, in the area of Charlie Creek Bridge, when it was swept in the flood water. One occupant in the SUV was found dead […]

Road closures caused by Ian’s devastating path through Southwest Florida are reopening. The Florida Highway Patrol said I-75 exit 182, Sumter Boulevard, has reopened. In Hardee County, southbound and northbound lanes of US-17 are back open. In DeSoto County, southbound and northbound US-17 are also open but State Road 70 and State Road 72 remain […]

LCEC said it has restored power to 41% of the six-county service territory it serves over the last five days, excluding Sanibel and Pine Island, which are not accessible to line crews. The Lee County Electric Cooperative said the number of restoration workers will grow to 2,000 by this coming weekend. Customers out of power […]

Officials are hopeful they will have a solution for travel onto Pine Island after Ian wrecked the only thoroughfare onto the barrier island. Lee County officials gave an update on storm recovery on Sunday. “We have a short-term plan in place replacing Pine Island Road onto Pine Island,” said Lee County Commissioner Cecil Pendergrass. The […]

Scott Joiner has lived in Punta Gorda his entire life. He lived through Charley in 2004 when the hurricane was one of four hurricanes to strike Florida that year. Ian was different. “This was nine hours of being beat,” Joiner said. The Category 4 Hurricane that moved through Southwest Florida on Wednesday was like no […]

Forty-four deaths have been confirmed to be tied to Hurricane Ian’s path across Florida. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement said 30 of those deaths occurred in Lee County. Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno said on Saturday that 35 people in Lee County had died because of Ian. It’s unclear if five of those deaths […]

Southwest Florida is still reeling from the aftermath of Ian. The Category 4 Hurricane blasted through the region with such force that homes were ripped from their foundations, while others were submerged because of the surge. On Fort Myers Beach, residents are being bussed out to safety. Authorities are closing Fort Myers Beach as rescues […]