David Dorsey

Southwest Florida's apartment boom has kept cruising through myriad obstacles—such as a global pandemic, and construction supply-chain disruptions, and more recently and ongoing, higher interest rates. Now, the boom is poised to face yet another challenge: With more than 15,000 additional apartment units under construction or cleared for development across Southwest Florida, the industry looks as if it soon might pass the point at which supply exceeds demand.

Breeze Airways, an airline less than 4 years old that began with three destinations out of the region, chose Southwest Florida International Airport as a new base of operations.

October 4, 2024 Photo Credit:Gabby Occhino At the time Hurricane Helene passed by Fort Myers Beach on Sept. 26, Anita Cereceda, owner

People across Southwest Florida were picking up the pieces and putting as many as they could back together Oct. 10, the day after Hurricane Milton brushed the region along the coastline before making landfall near Siesta Key and Sarasota at 8:30 p.m. Oct. 9.

PrivateSky Aviation just finished hosting a fleet of helicopters and National Guard personnel.

Two days after Hurricane Milton impacted Southwest Florida, the damage done to Captiva Island in Lee County came into better clarity.

Twice in a span of less than two weeks, storm surge overflowed mud and muck from the bottom of Matlacha Pass Aquatic Preserve onto Matlacha island, which is less than a quarter of a square mile and connects Pine Island to the mainland via Pine Island Road.

Gale's Gifts opened Oct. 1, 2023, at Bell Tower Shops in south Fort Myers, near Dave & Busters on the north side of the shopping center in what years ago had been a Tommy Bahama store.

Nordstrom Rack celebrated its grand opening Oct. 17 at Bell Tower in south Fort Myers. It did so with dozens of store fans gathered in line for an hour before the opening, with music, dancing and a $1,000 gift card giveaway.