The storm has passed. For thousands in Florida, the displacement lingers.
Southwest Florida isn’t what it used to be to Brittany Ward.
She grew up in Cape Coral, a canal-filled city just across the Caloosahatchee River from Fort Myers. It had a small town feel, she says. There were skating rinks, beaches, and parks, she says. Always something to do.
By the time she became a mom, the town had grown crowded and prices had risen. The skating rinks closed. Her five kids had more fun inside anyway. But there were still beaches and barrier islands for the weekends. There was still the yacht club – the same one Ms. Ward visited as a kid.
Hurricane Ian took that away.
Wind and storm surge swept through the area, taking almost everything that
