Water Damage Mitigation & Restoration
Lee County, FL

On September 28, 2022, Hurricane Ian made Category 4 landfall at Cayo Costa with 155 mph winds and a catastrophic 16-foot storm surge. Fort Myers Beach was virtually wiped off the map — 900 structures on Fort Myers Beach alone were totally destroyed. 52,514 structures across Lee County were impacted — 5,369 destroyed outright, 14,245 received major damage. The Sanibel Causeway and Matlacha Pass Bridge were destroyed, cutting off barrier islands. Governor DeSantis called it a “500-year flood event.” 72 people died in Lee County alone. It is the 3rd costliest hurricane in US history at $113 billion in damage.

Hurricane Irma tracked up through Lee County in September 2017 with widespread flooding. Fort Myers homeowners who experienced Irma later said that Ian was “nothing like Irma — Irma was nothing compared to this.” Caloosahatchee River flooding inundated downtown Fort Myers and surrounding neighborhoods. Thousands of Lee County homes filed water damage claims. Lee County declared a major disaster. Though significant damage occurred, Irma’s late shift northward prevented the extreme storm surge seen in 2022.

Hurricane Charley made Category 4 landfall at Cayo Costa — the exact same spot as Hurricane Ian 18 years later. With 150 mph winds, Charley caused catastrophic damage to Punta Gorda and significant damage to Cape Coral, Fort Myers, and surrounding Lee County communities. Over 27,000 homes were damaged or destroyed in Lee County. The storm caused $15 billion in damage and was the costliest hurricane to hit Florida at that time. Many Cape Coral and Fort Myers homeowners had just finished rebuilding from Charley when Ian struck.

Since Hurricane Ian in 2022, Lee County has seen an explosion of secondary water damage from rushed construction repairs — roof leaks from improperly installed post-Ian roofing, AC system failures from salt water damage during Ian, plumbing issues from corroded pipes, and appliance failures from Ian-affected units. With 72% homeownership and thousands of properties still in various stages of Ian-related repairs, Lee County has the highest ongoing water damage claim volume in Florida.