A year had passed
since Hurricane Ian, and some condo owners on Fort Myers
Beach still can’t get back into their units.
Former WINK News
anchor Bob Irzyk is one of many struggling to get back into
his condominium.
Being an Ian survivor like many others, Irzyk struggled with
insurance and has no indication for when he’s able to return
home, despite living on the top floor.
“That storm surge came — talking 15-18 feet of storm surge–
so it blew out the lobby doors and everything like that,”
said Irzyk. “The electrical panel in this being an older
building– was built in 1984– the electrical panels were on
the first floor, so all that water came in and destroyed it,
and that’s what’s taking so long.” |
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The insurance in
Irzyk’s building had gone up over 500%, along the lines of
$10,000 in assessments and counting. This has the condo
owners chipping in to help pay for the cost.
“When you kind of look around you and see how everything is
just torn apart, that’s the hard thing when you see about
all the folks up and down the beach, you see struggling
people who had to sell because they can’t afford it any
longer,” said Irzyk.
Irzyk told WINK News that property management is hopeful
owners will be able to return to their units by the end of
the year.