Hurricane Milton Post-Storm Information

Pine Island Traffic Cams

All four of the Lee County traffic cams (located on the drawbridge and at the Little Pine Island bridge reconstruction project) are operational. Use them to check traffic coming on and off the Island.

• Click here and page down to “Matlacha Cameras” to view the new cams, along with those previously installed on the drawbridge

Debris Removal and Trash Collection

Trash Collection

• Household garbage must be placed in a 40-gallon can or heavy plastic bag, each weighing no more than 50 pounds. If you have a larger county-provided container for automated garbage collection, you may use that as well.

Household Hazardous Waste

Lee County Solid Waste is hosting a mobile household hazardous waste collection day for Pine Islanders. You can drop household waste at this site.

• When: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 19
• Where: Phillips Park, 5675 Sesame Dr, Bokeelia, FL 33922

Hurricane Debris Removal

• Most Important – Please set storm debris at the curb away from your normal weekly garbage service; it will be collected and documented separately.
• Place storm debris at the curb in four separate piles:
  • household garbage,
  • appliances (white goods),
  • yard waste
  • construction and demolition debris.
• Federal Emergency Management Agency rules require documentation of the volume and type of debris collected to reimburse the county for storm cleanup, which saves local taxpayer dollars.
• Place yard waste in piles that can easily be managed by collection personnel with a claw truck.
• To expedite collection, do not place anything beneath low hanging obstacles like trees or power lines or near anything like fire hydrants or mailboxes.
• Food must be removed from any appliance set at the curb. Inedible food should be placed with your normal weekly garbage.

Hurricane Debris Site on Pine Island

You must be a resident of unincorporated Lee County to take advantage of the site. Be prepared to show identification (accepted forms of ID include driver’s license, utility bill, rental or lease agreement, or local business license).

You will also be asked to complete a waiver confirming the debris came from your property. Click here for a waiver or you can get a form on site.

Residents
Only storm debris will be accepted, and you must be prepared to unload your trucks yourself. No more than 5 cubic yards of debris may be dropped off at a time. (A standard full-size pick-up truck bed can hold about 2.5 cubic yards.)

• Operating hours 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
• Pine Island location: 5031 Pine Island Road, Bokeelia, FL 33922

Parks and Recreation Facilities and Boat Ramps

Lee County Permitting

• What: Temporary Remote Permit Office for Lee County building permits
• Where: The Pine Island Library, 10701 Russell Road, Bokeelia,
• Hours: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays through the end of October.

Any residents or businesses of unincorporated Lee County within the Special Flood Hazard Area with any damage to their homes or businesses, including water intrusion, must obtain a permit for all repairs. Email FIRMinfo@leegov.com for assistance with permit requirements and resources, and be sure to include the following information:

• Contact information
• Property address
• Type of damage
• Height of the water that entered the home

At the remote permit office, residents acting as their own contractors can submit permit applications, have them reviewed and – in some cases – issued from the remote office. The applicants need only a description of the work and their address, and staff will walk them through the process. Residents seeking a full demolition or complete replacement of a structure still need to visit the main Department of Community Development permitting office at 1500 Monroe St., Fort Myers.

• Please remember that the remote office is only for residents acting as their own contractors; hired contractors are asked to continue to use the Fort Myers office for permits.
• Hired contractors are also asked to continue to use the existing electronic permitting process.

Lee County Government is reminding residents in unincorporated areas to pull permits for work on their homes to repair storm damage caused by Hurricane Helene.

More County Information

Recovery Resources

Need Post-Storm Help With Recovery?

The Greater Pine Island Alliance has already resumed its recovery operations. The GPIA Office is at 10484 Stringfellow Road, St. James City, FL 33956. (It has wi-fi if you need it.)

If you need help after Milton (or still need help from Helene), you can visit the GPIA website to register for help, call them at 239-558-4901 or stop by their offices in person.

Federal and Other Disaster Aid, Including for Those Uninsured

Lee is an eligible county, meaning that county residents may apply for assistance.

Ways to Apply for Disaster Aid:
FEMA Disaster Assistance

When you apply, have the following information on hand:

• The address of your damaged home or apartment
• Names of people living in your household
• A description of your disaster damages
• Insurance information
• Your Social Security Number
• A telephone number where you can be reached or left a message
• An address where you can get mail
• If you want your disaster assistance funds sent directly to your bank, provide FEMA your bank information

SBA Disaster Assistance Loans

USDA – Agriculture Assistance

Red Cross

Disaster Unemployment Assistance

FloridaCommerce is accepting applications for DUA from residents and businesses frpm: Charlotte, Citrus, Dixie, Franklin, Hernando, Hillsborough, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lee, Levy, Madison, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Sarasota, Taylor, and Wakulla Counties.

Additionally, work search reporting, waiting week, and Employ Florida registration requirements for Reemployment Assistance claims have been temporarily waived for Floridians impacted by Hurricane Helene in FEMA disaster-declared counties. By waiving these requirements, eligible Floridians will be able to quickly apply and receive Reemployment Assistance and Disaster Unemployment Assistance benefits.

DUA is available to those who are ineligible to receive federal or state Reemployment Assistance benefits and the individual meets one of the following requirements:

• Is unemployed as a direct result of the major disaster;
• Was scheduled to start employment but was unable to as a direct result of the major disaster;
• Is unable to reach their job or self-employment location because the individual has to travel through an affected area and is prevented from doing so as a direct result of the major disaster;
• Has become the primary breadwinner because the head of the household died as a direct result of the major disaster; or
• Is unable to work because of an injury that was a direct result of the major disaster.
• DUA is available for weeks of unemployment beginning Sept. 29, 2024, through March 29, 2025 , as long as the individual’s unemployment continues to be a result of the disaster in the designated-disaster areas.
• The deadline to submit a claim for DUA benefits is no later than December 2, 2024. (Please note: this deadline might be updated following Hurricane Milton. Please verify the date with FloridaJobs.org) To file a claim, go to www.FloridaJobs.org and select “File a Claim”, visit a  local CareerSource Career Center, or call 1-800-385-3920. Customer service representatives are available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For DUA claims information, call 1-833-FL-APPLY (1-833-352-7759) to speak with a representative.