Hurricane Ian 18 months later: Restaurants rebuilt or retiredSt. Matthew’s House makes great progress in new women and children homeless shelter
CHARLOTTE COUNTY FWC continues identifying boats scattered across SWFL after Ian Hundreds of boats are scattered across Southwest Florida’s waterways 126 days after Hurricane Ian. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is responsible for finding out who owns these boats and getting them removed. From 700 boats scattered across the area after the hurricane, down to 300. “They’re all different sizes, anywhere from 35-foot trawlers […]
FORT MYERS BEACH Drywall giveaway for repairs on Fort Myers Beach in wake of Ian Picking up all the pieces after a devastating storm like Ian can take a long time, and a large portion of Fort Myers Beach is still destroyed and needs to be rebuilt. But there is help out there. People are waiting in long lines getting drywall put back in their homes. 7,000 sheets of drywall […]
FORT MYERS BEACH Junkanoo and Fresh Catch Bistro get new location on Fort Myers Beach The beachfront on Fort Myers Beach will be seeing another change. The owners of Fresh Catch Bistro and Junkanoo say that after more than 30 years in their spot on Fort Myers Beach, they’ll be taking over another property. Junkanoo and Fresh Catch Bistro now have a fresh spot to call home. “The past four […]
FORT MYERS BEACH Owners of The Whale refuse to sell Fort Myers Beach property, will rebuild Many properties on Fort Myers Beach have been selling in the wake of Hurricane Ian, but the owners of one classic spot, The Whale, are refusing to sell and have focused on rebuilding instead. The Whale is the first restaurant Dawn and Mike Miller ever owned, and they were excited to have it. “It’s been […]
FORT MYERS How a missing dog made its way to Fort Myers Beach, helping a man along the way What makes the 4-year-old puppy Gus so special? He was lost for nearly a week, away from his family through New Year’s weekend, until a man who was living in a temporary FEMA location found him. Their journey together and the reunion with Gus’ original owners changed all of their lives. If there is one […]
FORT MYERS BEACH Naples man gets new lease on life in Fort Myers Beach thanks to FEMA, Pink Shell Beach Resort A new lease on life for a 40-year-old Naples man who had nowhere to go after Hurricane Ian thanks to a lease from FEMA. Thanks to the federal agency and the Pink Shell Beach Resort and Marina on Fort Myers Beach, Michael Spoor was one of the first to move into the resort through FEMA’s […]
FORT MYERS BEACH Frequently forgotten Fort Myers Beach area still devastated by Ian Recovery efforts continue at Fort Myers Beach in the wake of Hurricane Ian. But some of the hardest-hit areas might be out of the line of sight. The North side of the island, if you make a right at the base of the bridge instead of a left, is still living in a world of […]
FORT MYERS BEACH La Ola returning to Fort Myers Beach with a new look The road to recovery for businesses on Fort Myers Beach has not been easy. Favorite hangouts where people on the beach have made memories for years have been taken away. Tor the restaurants in Times Square, trying to rebuild has been especially hard. Despite the tough recovery, the people who manage those popular spots tell […]
FORT MYERS BEACH Vice Mayor hopes Fort Myers Beach will be ‘functional paradise’ by next year Fort Myers Beach Vice Mayor Jim Atterholt is hoping Fort Myers Beach will become “a functional paradise within one year.” How realistic is that goal now that it’s been 112 days since Hurricane Ian? If you’re talking about hotels taking reservations again, that can happen. But for the people who live on the beach? The […]
FORT MYERS BEACH AmeriCorps helping with recovery in Fort Myers Beach For the past two weeks, AmeriCorps has been out on Fort Myers Beach helping people clean their homes that have been filled with debris since Hurricane Ian. When Brian Duddy first saw his home in the wake of the hurricane, he described it in two words. “Jaw-dropping. Didn’t know what to do. My wife and […]