Gulfshore Business

Charlotte County is expected to miss out on more than $10 million in tourism dollars following the cancellation of two popular events due to hurricanes Helene and Milton. Meanwhile, another major attraction in Punta Gorda is closed to the public.

The final vote by the Lee County Board of County Commissioners on Lee Health’s conversion from a public nonprofit to a private nonprofit was scheduled during an Oct. 8 special meeting, but Hurricane Milton’s approach of Florida’s Gulf Coast led to its cancellation.

Twice in a span of less than two weeks, storm surge overflowed mud and muck from the bottom of Matlacha Pass Aquatic Preserve onto Matlacha island, which is less than a quarter of a square mile and connects Pine Island to the mainland via Pine Island Road.

Two days after Hurricane Milton impacted Southwest Florida, the damage done to Captiva Island in Lee County came into better clarity.

PrivateSky Aviation just finished hosting a fleet of helicopters and National Guard personnel.

Local developers are still dealing with generalities rather than specifics when it comes to development plans on property recently cleared on the south side of Immokalee Road between Wilson and Randall boulevards in Golden Gate Estates.

People across Southwest Florida were picking up the pieces and putting as many as they could back together Oct. 10, the day after Hurricane Milton brushed the region along the coastline before making landfall near Siesta Key and Sarasota at 8:30 p.m. Oct. 9.

Collier County management began assessing damage Oct. 10 after Hurricane Milton and warned residents to exercise caution and to check for a license when hiring a contractor to perform work.

With Hurricane Milton expected to make landfall somewhere along Florida’s Gulf Coast on Oct. 9, some Punta Gorda hotels stopped taking reservations, flight disruptions are expected and residents and business owners spent Oct. 7 prepping.

As Hurricane Milton began making its way across the Gulf of Mexico to a precise destination yet unknown on Florida’s Gulf Coast, Lee County business owners on Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel Island and other coastal areas weren’t waiting around to find out.