Punta Gorda is a nice little harbor town and former fishing village just north of Fort Myers. Like Fort Myers, it was blasted by Hurricane Ian. Also like Fort Myers, it is recovering quickly. I visited Punta Gorda last Friday and, yes, there was debris lining the streets, mostly furnishings from homes that were flooded. The main destination was Fisherman’s Village, a large complex of shops and restaurants right on the harbor. It was in better shape than I expected. About a third of the shops were closed for repairs but mostly for wind damage – windows breaking and rain getting in. The structure itself was intact. The builders had wisely elevated it a bit so that it was maybe 10′ above sea level, just enough to keep from flooding in Ian’s storm surge.
I was with 3 friends. We mostly wandered around, visited a few shops, had some ice cream and a margarita on the beach. We toasted a lovely sunset.
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