Southwest Florida

Solar-powered Babcock Ranch came through Hurricane Ian with minimal damage and no flooding. Its developer believes it can inspire sustainable development in interior Florida.

Florida’s barrier islands have always been worth the risk to the hundreds of thousands of people living on them. After Hurricane Ian, will Southwest Florida’s islands ever be the same?

A new data analysis shows that population is surging on Florida’s barrier islands despite rising seas and worsening storms. Florida politics and policies continue to champion the growth.

Hurricane Ian struck Southwest Florida in the same place where Florida’s powerful Calusa natives lived over 2,000 years ago. From dealing with sea level fluctuations to a massive hurricane around A.D. 300, their fishing and building adaptations can teach us about dealing with coastal change.

Living in a disaster zone. That remains the reality for some people in Matlacha and on the south end of Pine Island, nearly six months after Hurricane Ian caused massive damage. The stress is taking a toll on some people, while many on the island focus on rebuilding.

For more than a decade the Coalition of Immokalee Workers have been trying to entice giant retailers to join the Fair Food Program. Wendy's, Publix and Kroger have been hold-outs.

Projections are that three-quarters of a mile in Burnt Store Isles and over 6 1/2 miles in Punta Gorda Isles suffered some seawall damage and affected approximately 582 parcels.

Speaking in Lee County, DeSantis also announced more funds for hurricane recovery while citing red tape in the need to get more temporary shelters to residents in Southwest Florida.

It aimed to come up with a consensus for developing a strategy to deal with warming temperatures and catastrophic weather events, like Hurricane Ian.

Hurricane Ian trampled over 5 million acres of agricultural land in Florida. For small, family farmers, the recovery is a long season, a brutal winter, fruitless.

FEMA, SBA and city officials met with Fort Myers Beach residents who are struggling to navigate the rebuilding process.

Some shops and restaurants have cleaned up and reopened, but others along the beaches will take longer to rebuild and open again.