Hurricanes

It all started with a cup of coffee and a picture. People bid for a date with one bachelor to help with Hurricane Ian relief. It's a creative fundraiser that began with an Instagram account as the Southwest Florida community works to rebuild. 

The executive director for the Healthy Start Coalition of Southwest Florida said they delivered resources to about 900 families before the storm. That number has tripled in the last three weeks as stores are too damaged to reopen and the ones that are open have minimal baby supplies or people don't have a way to get to one.

Since Hurricane Ian passed through Florida, 525,000 meals and snacks have been handed out through The Salvation Army. They've worked to help more than 12,000 people with emotional and spiritual care. 

Florida is slamming the brakes on toll-free roads. The fees were suspended to support evacuations and emergency preparations ahead of Hurricane Ian. Now, drivers will be paying those tolls once again, starting Oct. 15. The only exceptions are the Skyway Bridge, Pinellas Bayway, and Alligator Alley.

The sheriff of Lee County said five men from Orlando were posing as workers for a fake company but were stealing from inside homes on Fort Myers Beach. All are facing burglary charges.

The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity is launching the “small business emergency bridge loan program,” where businesses impacted by Hurricane Ian can apply for a one-term, 0% interest loan of up to $50,000.

When Hurricane Ian barreled through Florida a couple of weeks ago, it wasn't just people and their pets hunkering down for dear life. Sixty-nine great apes and nearly two dozen caretakers rode out the storm at their sanctuary in Wauchula. 

Crews are working hard to ensure North Port schools that were hit hard by Hurricane Ian are ready for students to return to class on Monday.

In an executive order issued Thursday, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced steps to ensure residents in Florida counties "severely impacted by Hurricane Ian" will have a chance to vote in the midterm election next month.

In Hillsborough County, lessons learned during Hurricane Irma helped officials prepare for future storms and prolonged power outages. The innovative technology makes it safer for drivers.

It's been two weeks since Hurricane Ian slammed into Southwest Florida and officials are still trying to get in contact with hundreds of missing people. 

After Hurricane Ian passed, Manatee County Animal Welfare saw an increase in animals coming through their doors. Like many shelters across the state, they were already at max capacity. 

Two weeks after Hurricane Ian made landfall in southwest Florida, causing billions of dollars in damage, temporary repairs have been made to Sanibel Causeway, allowing power restoration crews and other emergency workers to reach the hard-hit barrier islands of Sanibel and Captiva.

Tropical Storm Karl formed in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday and is expected to meander off the coast of Mexico over the next several days, producing heavy rainfall and gusty winds.

Trucks with the big claws are working their way through local neighborhoods, snatching one Hurricane Ian debris pile at a time. 

Parts of Price Boulevard in North Port were damaged after being under several feet of water. Officials with the city are hoping to have at least one section of the road back open this week. 

Hurricane Ian toppled trees and broke branches in yards across the Tampa Bay area. The raking, sawing and bagging is mostly done, leaving streets on both sides of the Bay dotted with large piles of debris.

As Florida continues to recover in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, first lady Casey DeSantis is making sure the youngest victims don't get left behind — announcing a toy drive for children who lost their belongings when the Category 4 storm devastated the state.