Fort Myers

Most in the minority Fort Myers community say it is a waste of time to continue to appeal denial letters they received from FEMA.

Cameras have watched the North Fort Myers eagle nest for 12 years.

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

Ozzie and Harriet made the nest their home every year from fall to spring beginning in 2006. After Ozzie died in 2015. Harriet bonded with M15. Online cameras have watched the nest for 12 years

Florida is a magnet for retirees — not just for those who can afford exclusive gated communities, but also for those on fixed incomes. Now, many face a wrenching reality: rebuilding is not an option.

Some charitable groups are getting donations for Thanksgiving meal giveaways in the middle of recovery from Hurricane Ian devastation.

Rabbi A. James Rudin has spent much of his life helping to develop respect and understanding among faiths. On Sunday, he will be the third American rabbi bestowed with the Papal Knighthood of the Order of St. Gregory the Great.

There are some people concerned that a shortage of skilled trade workers, structural regulations and an influx of developers will change the coastal town's "mom-and-pop" culture.

Fort Myers native Derrick Fox toured as a professional drummer in several rock bands before becoming a private chef. Fox discusses the similarities between playing music and cooking. He also shares lessons for home cooks that he learned from his time on the TV competition show "MasterChef."

Floodgate Medical, a recruiting company headquartered in Tampa, has adopted a hurricane-ravaged community 120 miles away. Volunteers from Floodgate are helping Suncoast Estates, often called the world's largest trailer park, come back from Ian's damage and destruction.

Hurricanes — whether big or small — manage to damage or destroy most things in their path. But palm trees tend to escape a hurricane's fury. That was definitely true after Ian.

Anita Cereceda, a native of Florida and former mayor of Fort Myers Beach, spoke of what she found when she returned to her home Sunday. Cereceda also owned three businesses of the island, and hopes one can be rebuilt.