Hurricane relief efforts

We are monitoring a tropical disturbance that could develop late this week. Gabrielle is the next name on the list.

State regulators have finalized agreements requiring additional property insurers to pay fines because of violating claims-handling laws after Hurricane Ian and Hurricane Idalia. Documents posted on the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation website show that agreements known as “consent” orders, which were signed in August, required American Mobile Insurance Exchange to pay $400,000; Monarch National Insurance Co. to pay $325,000; and Tower Hill Prime Insurance Co. to pay $250,000. Combined with earlier agreements the result is more than $1.5 million in fines.

More than $11 million in grants has been awarded to the Naples Airport, Lee County Utilities and the city of Fort Myers as part of $150 million distributed as part of the Resilient Florida Program to strengthen coastal and inland communities against the impacts of flooding and hurricanes.“The Resilient Florida Program is turning planning into action,” said DEP Secretary Alexis A. Lambert. “These grants will equip Florida’s communities to better withstand impacts from flooding, storm surge and hurricanes, advancing on-the-ground efforts to safeguard Florida’s natural resources and infrastructure.”

The Florida Department of Emergency Management is providing information and assistance on “Elevate Florida” for Marco Island residents on March 19th.The program is designed to protect homes and communities by reducing damage caused by natural disasters and flooding.

Sarasota County’s Resilient SRQ program has released its draft action plan for public review, outlining proposed uses for $210 million in Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds. These funds will support long-term recovery efforts following Tropical Storm Debby and Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

Unsettled weather conditions for parts of Florida will make recovery and cleanup efforts harder for some.

LeeCares Hurricane Ian Housing Recovery Program application portal opened at noon Thursday to help residents impacted by Hurricane IanOutreach efforts ramp up to assist people with application process

From the economy to the environment, from how the community rallied around each other to the very personal struggles in the recovery process, WGCU takes a unique look at how some of us fared during and after Hurricane Ian.

Four people, two of them from Naples, involved in a theft ring that preyed on the campers being used for Hurricane Ian victims were arrested Wednesday by the Florida Highway Patrol and local law enforcement officials.

A natural El Nino, human-caused climate change, a stubborn heat dome over the nation’s midsection and other factors cooked up Tropical Storm Hilary’s record-breaking slosh into California and Nevada, scientists figure.