Move forward or out? Many on Fort Myers Beach making tough choices amid Hurricane Ian recovery

While waiting to see how much the fight to preserve most of Lee County's 25% flood insurance discount will turn out, WINK News discovered that nowhere is the proximity of moving forward and moving out so intertwined as Fort Myers Beach.

[@user-lf4ux7dm7g]

I told my daughter to travel to Florida for spring break, but she said it's a long way to go "for skin cancer and a Slurpy." Young people today are so much smarter about their habits and health choices than I was.

[@user-of2zk1ff4i]

You think that was a one time event? 😊

[@buckbenelli8]

Ten thousand year storm? Every few years? This fall will be a doozy. Buckle up Florida, the potential for dozens of hurricanes is indisputable.

[@Maybe1Someday]

How many times should a house be rebuilt before its deemed not viable to live there? Is building right next to the ocean and having every other sad soul pay to fix it really fair? Floridas ecosystem is ruined by man made waterways and roads. Whether these humans like it or not in the near future it will not even be possible to rebuild because the land will be ocean.

[@grantaugustyniak6667]

Maybe they all wont need to worry about it after this hurricane season - every time they rebuild in the same area - they literally sweeze the life out of other Floridians in the state because everything from property taxes, car insurance, home insurance goes up . How sad is that !

[@HTHAMMACK1]

@@grantaugustyniak6667 In a state with no income tax, what do you expect. They will get their money one way or another.

[@hebneh]

In retrospect we can see that no major developments should ever have been allowed on barrier islands like this, but it's 100 years too late to change that now. Every such island along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts is extremely vulnerable to both storms and ocean level rise, being only just above sea level and composed entirely of sand.

[@MS-ty8eq]

Many thanks to fort myers beach, sanibel and hurricane Ian for completely screwing over the rest of the state for insurance rates. A big thanks once again beachdwellers

[@lauriesmith5008]

Code inforcement should have responded. Just shows they do not care.

[@hebneh]

As bad as this is, someday a storm of equal or greater strength is going to hit a major urban area in Florida and the problems seen here are going to be magnified significantly. It will badly affect the entire state's economy. Hurricanes are not going to go away and leave humans alone, along with all their structures and possessions.

[@user-md9yv7jx2c]

By all means, let's rebuild. Forget climate change things are just gonna get better

[@leanneadams2549]

In 2021 I tried really hard to buy a house in the Fort Myers area ( very qualified) and time after time every thing I tried to buy just didn’t work out ! I didn’t understand WHY this was happening….. now I know !!!!!! And some people STILL say there isn’t a God. Well God didn’t allow me to buy a house for a reason !!!! I still love FM and will eventually buy but for now- I just donate when I can. I wish I could do more !! ❤️🏡🤷‍♀️🐴🙏💪🇺🇸🏝️

[@Sprout-gh3zv]

You’re dumb…. So god allowed other people to buy a house prior to Ian and then lose it? So god picks favorites? You’re so delusional.

[@chuckdameron5626]

Most people will sell their lots because it's to expensive to rebuild the rates are high and the home insurance will be high

[@RedMartin66]

Way over populated I moved out of that place 6 yrs ago, best thing ever. Getting out of Florida has saved me money on virtually everything !

[@shanematthews7713]

10,000 year storm? The rising temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico are like rocket fuel for these cyclones. This one just happened to hit Ft Myers

[@aaronbonatz8378]

Glad i left Fort Misery and Cape coma. It's a total deadzone down there.

[@grantaugustyniak6667]

Sounds more like a nightmare - than a challenge 🤷‍♀️

[@marathonlogistics9943]

In southern states that wouldn't be able to force these new restrictions the area is soo poor

[@liberatedwoman]

What happens when hurricanes this season hit before construction is completed?

[@billl1127]

Only a partial loss.

[@timothywalch7102]

The governor of the Santa's when are you going to do something about the homeowners insurance once you do a story on that

[@billl1127]

I will risk the earthquakes of California any time vs the inevitability of seasonal hurricanes.

[@rrosen7370]

Just horrible!!

[@daveassanowicz186]

"Build Back Better" 😂/

[@joemartino6976]

Sorry not a federal issue. It's local so complain to your Governor. Frankly, you shouldn't complain too much in that Americans across the country are paying for FEMA's flood insurance program, which is there because private industry won't go near.

[@user-lf4ux7dm7g]

Anybody with a brain knows that Florida is the "Stink on the Brink."

[@sgassocsg]

Troll. Get a job. You can do it. Leave mom’s basement.

[@terpmaniac]

All is not lost Florida. Books you don't like are now banned and you can't say Gay. I know I feel better.

[@me-se1zz]

Welcome to communism

[@sharon94503]

Still thinking on voting for DeSatan again? Seems he's doing nothing for Florida.

[@mrfofff]

what should he do?

[@bobcortez9471]

Should DeSantis stop hurricanes now? Maybe he should do what any good Democrat would do and raise everyone’s taxes into oblivion, welcome illegals, give everyone benefits, and watch all the wealth drain from the state until it’s the perfect liberal dystopian society. This is was a weather event, it sucks, but there’s nothing a piece of legislation can do to stop a hurricane. Also, I don’t want to hear about climate change, 10,000 years ago half US was covered in a mile thick sheet of ice. At one time the Sahara desert looked like North America - climates change, get over it.

[@saythankyou111]

He’s great….your confused, 🇺🇸

[@sharon94503]

@@saythankyou111 oh MAGA.

[@rayRay-pw6gz]

@@mrfofffstop the insurance scams , water pollution , low wages, spreading hate , anti abortion, stop lying to the people, stop supporting Trump .

[@robertjoe7590]

I lost everything after the hurricane my home, multiple cars, jobs, my relationship with my family, I packed up and left after 1 month after the devastation, I can’t wait to go in front of the judge to file for bankruptcy because that’s my next step, I will not live with this anymore. FEMA was a joke. Does the bare minimal, I had to get a congressman involved and even still she told me it was like pulling teeth. What a joke. All I can say is the sheer devastation these storms do does not justify the cost to live there these storms will WHIPE YOU COMPLETELY OUT ONE WAY OR ANOTHER, MARK MY WORDS, the sad part of it all the money that was given to the city and businesses was only to keep the property values up for the city. The people are left to fight for scraps