Hurricane Ian

Nearly two years after Hurricane Ian devastated Southwest Florida, for many, the dream of living in paradise is becoming unaffordable. Making the situation worse, because of lax permitting and development following the hurricane, FEMA is hiking the cost of flood insurance in vulnerable coastal communities like Cape Coral.

The estimated cost of long-term disaster recovery after Hurricane Ian is $2.5 billion. The latest installment of federal funds gives Florida counties less than half of that.

A soon-to-be-released report will estimate Florida’s agriculture industry sustained about $1.07 billion in damages from Hurricane Ian, with growers of citrus, vegetable and horticultural crops taking the biggest hits from the wind, rains and flooding.

In addition to providing $1.25 billion for homeowners impacted by Hurricanes Ian and Nicole, it expands on a current toll rebate program.

As of Wednesday, residents along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts can exhale, with the end of the 2022 Hurricane season.

It’s all but a certainty that Southwest Florida will overall be built back stronger after Ian. The question becomes, how much stronger?

People can submit applications through Jan. 12 at disaster recovery centers throughout the state

The chair for People for Trees, based out of North Port, says with many trees damaged or destroyed, people are realizing what they once had.

The federal rule prohibits improvements to hurricane-damaged homes exceeding 50% of their market value unless the entire structure is updated to meet current building codes.

Orange County is buzzing with higher levels of mosquito activity. County experts say the booming population came after Hurricane Ian.