Lee County provides an update on the Fort Myers Beach Pier

The Lee Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday received an update on the progress of building the new, larger and more resilient Fort Myers Beach Pier that accelerates the planned completion of the project. The estimated completion date of the pier is now in August 2027, ahead of the previous planned completion in summer 2028.…

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Lee commissioners prepares for receipt of funds to address unmet needs from Hurricanes Helene and Milton

Lee County has been allocated more than $100.6 million in Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). This funding will provide critical resources to address unmet recovery needs from Hurricanes Helene and Milton, supporting essential recovery efforts with a focus on housing repair…

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Post-Disaster Fraud: How to Avoid Home Repair Contractor Scams

Unfortunately, disasters that impact a residential structure often attract unscrupulous people posing as reputable contractors to take advantage of vulnerable homeowners. These individuals, or their sales representatives, might approach an impacted homeowner with offers to repair or rebuild the home quickly, claiming they will receive “priority” if the homeowner hires them immediately. They also may…

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American Red Cross offering financial assistance for families

The Red Cross is providing financial assistance to Floridians whose homes suffered major damage or were destroyed by Hurricane Helene or Hurricane Milton and still face obstacles to their recovery. Last week, the Red Cross began outreach to specific individuals whose primary residences were located within the disaster affected areas. These individuals are eligible for…

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New floodplain manager appointed for the Town of Fort Myers Beach

Kelli DeFedericis began working for the Town of Fort Myers Beach as the new floodplain manager from Jacobs Group. DeFedericis has been in Florida since 2006 where she began her career in the floodplain industry. Previously DeFedericis worked with the City of Marco Island as their floodplain administrator. She stated, “I am looking forward to…

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Mangrove Property Insurance earns rating of A from Demotech

Mangrove Property Insurance Company announced that Demotech, a financial analysis firm, has assigned it a Financial Stability Rating of A, Exceptional.  Demotech assigns FSRs of A, Exceptional, to insurers that possess exceptional financial stability related to maintaining positive surplus as regards policyholders, liquidity of invested assets, an acceptable level of financial leverage, reasonable loss and loss…

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Transitional sheltering assistance: What you need to know now

FEMA’s Transitional Sheltering Assistance provides short-term hotel/motel lodging for eligible disaster survivors whose residence is uninhabitable or inaccessible because of a disaster. What are the eligibility criteria for TSA? FEMA may pay for temporary lodging in hotels/motels if you meet all the following criteria: A FEMA inspection finds your home is unsafe to live in.…

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Lee Commissioners vote to approve agreement related to EPA Community Change Grant

The Lee Board of County Commissioners voted Tuesday to approve an agreement with Collaboratory to allow the county to address a series of objectives included in the $19.3 million Community Change Grant through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to tackle environmental challenges related to disaster preparedness. Lee County and Collaboratory announced in December that the…

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Lee County Emergency Management joins Community Lifeline Status System Pilot initiative

Lee County Emergency Management has been selected to participate in a pilot program for the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate’s (S&T) Community Lifeline Status System (CLSS), an innovative tool designed to accentuate emergency management and disaster response. As one of eight agencies participating in this nationwide initiative, Lee County Emergency Management will…

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