Ian the Ugly aka Attila the Hun didn’t die easily. Ian The Ugly continued its wobbly course across Florida, exiting near Daytona Beach, picked up steam over the Atlantic Ocean and circled back to march through Georgia.

THE GOOD

Florida still has many decisions to make and months of rebuilding ahead so I am refocusing my energy on THE GOOD in Southwest Florida.

The Power of Positivity

Edithy Marcellis, party girl of Martin County, life-long learner, world traveler, art aficionado, lover of theater, music, dance, film, visual and performing arts, just celebrated her 90th birthday. Edithy credits her longevity to the ability to find happiness every day in the spirit of positivity.

Edithy and Ginger Shannon at the Elliott Museum in June 2022; Edithy arriving in style at the October 5th Palm Room event.

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GOOD Neighbors Banish Ian The Ugly

Ordinary folks, who perform acts of love and kindness anonymously, abound in natural disasters and will soon banish Ian The Ugly aka Attila the Hun.

For example, Airbnb's refund policy specifically excludes hurricanes in Florida because they are 'common enough to be foreseeable'

Is this a GOOD policy you ask? It depends is the BEST answer.

**Sanibel Island Cut Off From Mainland Florida Due To Hurricane Ian #NBCNews 9/26/2022**

Friends from Stuart, Florida vacation on Sanibel Island each spring. They savor peace and quiet, good food and drink, beach days and shell collecting. Each year they put down a 20% deposit to hold their place for the next year. Post Ian the Ugly, they told me both the properties they had rented in past years were gone, pushed out to sea by surging waters. They expressed concern about the welfare of their hosts, the restaurants, bars and other amenities they enjoyed and were grateful for their Sanibel experiences over the years. Not a mention of wanting their 20% deposit back.

Other folks offered up food, water, clothing and housing for a few nights or as long as it takes for folks who lost everything to Ian The Ugly to get back on their feet. On the Treasure Coast, the east coast of Florida, I witnessed several incidents of relatives and business colleagues who shared whatever they had with folks who walked away from Sanibel and surrounding areas with just the clothes on their backs, all of their possessions and history swallowed up by the raging waters. They are the 98%ers - the folks who will do GOOD when no one is looking and with no expectation of rewards.

Ian the Ugly has birthed some slimy creatures who have crawled out from under rocks to take advantage of the most vulnerable folks, promising them the world and enslaving them instead. Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody is after these slimy scammers. Contact her office for resources on finding help.

Edison & Ford Winter Estates

In gratitude to Jeff Kleinman, Miami Herald Day Editor, for publishing the most beautiful story of resilience and survival in Fort Meyers, in defiance of Ian The Ugly.

One of the best-known landmarks and tourist spots in Fort Myers is the Thomas Edison and Henry Ford historical site.
The winter estates of the inventor and the car man, now part of a museum on the Caloosahatchee River, survived the onslaught of Hurricane Ian, which flooded parts of the city and destroyed buildings and roads on nearby barrier islands.
“All of our historic homes and the other structures have weathered the storm just fine,” Lisa Wilson, public relations director for the Edison & Ford Winter Estates, told the Fort Myers News-Press. “We got really, really lucky.”
The Southwest Florida homes survived river flooding because of their elevation. But while prized trees planted by Edison in the 1920s stayed up, other trees went down. Crews are cleaning up the mess.
“The iconic Banyan and Mysore Fig trees also survived the storm,” the museum reported on Facebook. “Debris is being cleared from the site and administration is waiting for power to be restored. Once the power is on and the debris is cleared, the site will reopen to the public.”
Is it still standing in Fort Myers? Edison and Ford estate took a hit from hurricane. Jeff Kleinman. Miami Herald. October 3, 2022.

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Education Program at Edison Ford

Edison & Ford Winter Estates has a comprehensive Education Program, which includes offerings for ages 18 months to Adult of any age. Although I am thrilled that the property sustained little damage from Ian The Ugly, I am concerned that their world class, in person education program, will not survive.

Teachers and students, who lived locally before Ian The Ugly, may be dispersed around the State of Florida because their homes were washed away or damaged beyond livability. Some will move back when FEMA trailers are available; others may relocate permanently out of state or even to other countries.

The Education Program includes Visual Tours and discussions via Zoom. Even these program require an on site presence of a teacher to lead the event and reliable Internet.

Elon Musk to provide Florida with Starlink satellites in response to Hurricane Ian.

"We are working with Elon Musk and Starlink satellite. They are positioning those Starlink satellites to provide good coverage in Southwest Florida and other affected areas," DeSantis told reporters on Saturday. "We are expecting 120 additional large Starlink units to deploy to Southwest Florida."

For my part, I purchased an individual membership by downloading and completing a membership application form the website and mailed with a check to Michael A. Flanders, President & CEO, 2350 McGregor Blvd, Fort Myers, FL 33901. My hope is to make an in-person visit in the future.

Keep Florida Condo Residents Safe

In a special session in May 2022, the Florida Legislature passed and Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law Senate Bill 4D which took a huge step in addressing condominium safety and preventing another Surfside Condo Tragedy. The main components include:

Building inspections as structures reach 30 years and every 10 years theerafter
Mandatory reserve study and funding for structural integrity components (building, floors, windows, plumbing, electrical, etc.)
Removal of opt-out funding of reserves for structural integrity components.
Mandatory transparency - providing all owners and residents access to building safety information
Clear developer requirements for building inspections, structural integrity reserve study, and funding requirements prior to transition to the residents.
Engagement of the Florida Department of Business and Professional regulation and local municipalities to track condominium buildings and inspection reporting.

Senate Bill 2D also passed in May 2022, made major changes in Insurance Requirements, which everyone prayed would have a “no major hurricane” year to give the insurance industry time to adjust. Ian The Ugly screwed that up so now we are back to the drawing board.

For disaster preparedness, check out the Community Association Institute’s Condo Safety Information and Resources for Residents Page.

Thank you for subscribing to The Snarky Express. It has become crystal clear to me that Florida needs very citizen, tourist and visitor to State of Florida to be concerned about all aspects of development, construction and long-term maintenance of all Florida properties. God bless you all!

Ian The Ugly Continues…..