Hurricane Charley

Kelly Gaylord is president of the Punta Gorda Historic Mural Society. She has muralist Keith Goodson on speed dial. She calls him whenever one of the Society’s murals fails. She’s had to call him a lot. The Society has lost a number of its murals over the course of its 31-year history. So, Punta Gorda, which has given itself the nickname of “Mural Town,” has decided not to paint murals on buildings or walls any longer. “We decided all our future murals were going to be removable aluminum panels with mural cloth,” said Gaylord.

Today marks an infamous day in Florida's hurricane history. A look back at Hurricane Charley, a small but mighty hurricane left some parts of the state permanently changed.

Neil Durrant moved to Charlotte County in 2019 and it didn’t take him long to learn about Hurricane Charley.“It was one of those central moments,” he said. “There was before Charley and there’s after Charley. Charley wasn’t just an event, it is always going to be a big part of Punta Gorda’s history, Charlotte County’s history. It’s always going to be one of those standout moments.

Charlotte County Emergency Management Services is ready for what has been predicted to be another above-average hurricane season, according to Emergency Management Director Patrick Fuller.It has been many years since Charlotte County saw a direct impact during hurricane season, but Fuller warns residents against complacency.

In August 2004, Hurricane Charley took an unexpected turn off the Gulf and into Charlotte Harbor, devastating the county and bringing the national…

The longest serving county emergency manager in the State of Florida retires today. Charlotte County Commissioners are marking the day by declaring Friday…