Florida’s governor addresses school damage from Hurricane Ian

Fox 29 | By WPTV Staff | October 10, 2022

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday surveyed storm damage from Hurricane Ian in Charlotte County.

Speaking at the Charlotte County Disaster Recovery Center in Port Charlotte, the governor said all but three schools in Charlotte County have reopened as of Monday.

DeSantis said crews have been responding to various issues at schools since Hurricane Ian slammed Southwest Florida on Oct. 28, including power outages, downed trees and debris on school campuses and at bus stops, and broken tiles.

“You have the kids, the kids really need to be in school. It’s really important for them. It’s important for the community,” DeSantis said.

It’s a different story just south in Lee County, where schools will remain closed all week with an anticipated reopening date of Monday, Oct. 17.

The School District of Lee County said 18 schools are not in a condition to reopen just yet.

“Our preliminary damage assessment finds 54% of our schools are in low need of repair, but 14% have major damage. A few may be beyond repair,” the school district posted on Facebook on Oct. 4.

The governor on Monday also announced an additional $126 million in relief funding for communities impacted by Hurricane Michael, which made landfall in the Florida Panhandle as a Category 5 storm exactly four years ago.