Local/Regional Press Coverage 0 � business news and information delivered straight I'- 0 to your (J') (") (") - mailbox Photo by Luminaire Foto c3I- ': each month. The 2021 Edison Awards Gold, Silver and Bronze winners and the Edison Achievement Awards were presented at 9 - the Edison Awards Gala held at the Caloosa Sound Convention Center in Fort Myers . I () :- . Startyour (/J ...... 0 = 0. ...... - r subscription I- Q) - The Edison Awards welcomes innovators ::, <( "O en ! to Southwest 0 - 2021 . C: t5 Guest speakers at the gala included Edison . 1/l co _ Florida Companies from around the globe that will co . � C: - . 0 <D ..: Achievement Award Honorees Reinhold Schmieding, pres­ ... I() .• °" E � - ,.i.· Business shape the future, including 5 from SWFL • E 0 ident and founder of orthopedic surgical tools company � 0 - . <a (J') Today.• The Edison Awards recently announced the winners of . (") . () - 1 Arthrex, headquartered in Southwest Florida, andJennifer . � (") -= . >, -= its 34th annual program. The awards gala took place at the . £ .!!! ....I Holmgren, chief executive officerof the innovative carbon . .E C: u. - Call new Caloosa Sound Convention Center andwas hosted by . (/J � I!! - recycling company LanzaTech. Q) •. <a m -= Miles O'Brien, science correspondent forPBS Newshour. 2021 119 15 • C: The winners represent companies in • ·;; ..,. � (239) • I'- t:: - This is the first year the prestigious event was held in the ...... � N..,. 0 -= (9 ...... u. 573-9732 Cityof Fort Myers. AWARDS See page 15 - - . -- ---,.-.--=--=---. - - -1 �-,-.- - 1 1 � - - • ' I I - - .·. · - I . rr ·: .. ' · �· Southwest Florida - Business TodayI �_:_J•iill L- ... _. llf :'-- - ._ -- _1 - N '1 ii • _.:._• 11---...__�-._•.. y .. ,'.�- -4--c. 0-- 6-2021 =inalistschosen for Uncommon Bank and Scotlynn USA. Punta GordaAirport announces CEO JamesW. Parish andCOO Ron Every year, the Uncommon Mallardand have oversight of PGD's =nends business ethicsaward Friends Foundation awards one local directorof operations/projects Bailey Terminal operations, facili­ The Uncommon Friends Founda­ business with the prestigious Ethics The Charlotte County Airport ties, FBO and airside operations. He :ion announced the finalists for the Authority announced Gary E. Dun­ Award, which recognizes a business Punta will also assist with air service devel­ W21 Business Ethics Awards. The that exemplifies the highest stan­ can joined the Gorda Airport opment and marketing, vendor rela­ inalists are CONRIC PR & .Mar­ dards of ethical practices in its daily as its director of airport operations/ tions, grantsand special projects. ceting, Sanibel Captiva Community projects. Duncan will work under RNAUSTSSee page 7 DIRECTORSee page5 N'[email protected] [email protected] ( ·�----- A16 NEWS WEEK OF JUNE 3-9, 2021 HURRICANEH E ISSUEIS www.FloridaWeekly.com CHARLOTTE COUNTY FLORIDA WEEKLY Charlotte County Hurricane Shelters 1. Liberty Elementary School 370 Atwater Street, Port Charlotte Capacity: 500 North 75 2. Neil Armstrong Elementary School 22100 Breezeswept Avenue, Port Charlotte 41 DESOTO COUNTY Port SARASOTA COUNTY Capacity: 500 CHARLOTTE COUNTY 1 4 3. Kingsway Elementary School 23300 Quasar Boulevard, Port Charlotte 2 17 3 Capacity: 500 Veterans Blvd. Midway Blvd. 4. Harold Avenue Regional Park Recreation Center 23400 Harold Ave., Port Charlotte Kings Hwy. Capacity: 500 Port Peace Englewood Charlotte River Warning: Charlotte County has no certified Red Cross shelters. In the event of a hurricane, Charlotte County-staffed shelters Punta Gorda may be opened for residents to take shelter. All are pet Airport friendly. Charlotte County shelters of last resort may not be Punta able to open depending on the size and direction of an Gorda approaching storm. Check local media and www.charlotte- countyfl.gov/news to ascertain which location may be open. Rotonda Gasparilla Rd. Charlotte 31 Harbor 41 75 Babcock Ranch Gulf of Mexico CHARLOTTE COUNTY GLADES COUNTY LEE COUNTY Regarding shelters 78 • Shelter space is extremely limited and all other means of evacuation and sheltering should be considered before going to a public shelter. Alva • In the event of a hurricane, one or more Charlotte County-staffed shelters may be opened, depending on the size and direction of an 80 approaching storm. Check local media and www.charlottecountyfl.gov/news to find open location(s). • Shelters will have an increased amount of space per individual/family for social distancing purposes, routine sanitizing of common areas, and make available hand washing materials and hand sanitizer if possible. It is best to bring sanitizing supplies if you have them. • Bring your own cloth face coverings for everyone in your family, as well as hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes/cleaner. • Families will be allowed to share the space assigned to them, with appropriate distance requirements between each family. • Public shelters do not have cots, bedding or generators, and you will have limited space. 5 MILES Storm action timeline Early Hurricane Hurricane During the After the summer watch is warning is storm storm announced issued ■ Develop your storm ■ Stay indoors. ■ The longest part of plan. Hurricane conditions Hurricane conditions ■ Stay away from the process, recovery ■ Stock your hurricane are possible within the are possible within the windows even if can take weeks. supply kit. next 48 hours. next 36 hours. they’re shuttered. ■ Move slowly and ■ Create a checklist ■ Clear your yard ■ Gather important ■ Listen to media cautiously as you of items you will want of potential fl ying documents. reports for the latest survey and clean up. to take with you if you debris, including lawn ■ Finish shuttering information. Most injuries take have to leave. furniture, toys, etc. doors and windows. ■ Stay inside even if place after the storm. ■ Take “before” ■ Lower the water ■ Evacuate if you are it appears calm. Do ■ Do not use public pictures of your home level in the swimming ordered to do so. not go out until the water until you are for insurance purposes. pool by one foot. ■ If you’re staying all-clear is given. notifi ed that it is safe. ■ Find out the ■ Board up windows. home, designate a ■ Avoid travel if elevation of your home. ■ Gas up the car. safe room. Interior possible. ■ Make sure your Check your oil and tire bathrooms or closets ■ Do not connect street address is pressure. on the lowest level generators to house clearly marked on your ■ Get cash. ATMs with no windows work wiring. home. and banks may not be best. ■ Beware of downed open after a storm. ■ Charge cell phones power lines, wild ■ Turn the refrigerator and other devices. animals and even to the coldest setting. domestic animals that ■ Store plenty of may be frightened or water. lost. ■ Take pictures of damage and contact your insurance agent. Growth and development soared in Southwest Florida during the coronavirus crisis, resuming what was occurring before anyone had ever heard of COVID-19. And that's without a pair of main economic drivers fully in play in the evolving business landscape for the region: Its two main commercial carrier airports. Now, that's rapidly changing as the summer heats up, and more and more folks get vaccinated. In response, the airlines are bulking up flights out of Southwest Florida International and Punta Gorda airports. Even before these were added, the lines had begun at the gates. April, with its 1.1 million travelers at RSW, brought an unheard of 2,000% surge from over a year ago, when a paltry 53,000 passed through the gates early in the pandemic. Following a trend that emerged earlier in the year, Southwest Florida International ranked No. 1 in the nation in passenger recovery ahead of No. 2 Phoenix, based on counts from January through April and comparing 2021 to 2019, the airport's Victoria Moreland said. "We've recovered 77% of our traffic, compared to 2019, which was our banner year, best year ever," Moreland said. So yes, expect crowds once again. Sure, you could hang out here in the area with all the new residents and the many tourists to come or drive many hours to get away or simply wait a few years for a proposed Elon Musk-inspired bullet train to arrive to Southwest Florida, if ever. But if you're planning air trips for the summer, the fall leaves, next year or for the post-pandemic surge in weddings, you will have more destination options and carriers to consider. Here's a few: Southwest Airlines: Cincinnati, Buffalo, Louisville, Denver, Nashville and more Southwest Airlines is expanding in Southwest Florida. The company announced the addition of a Cincinnati flight to Southwest Florida International, starting in June and bringing its total available routes locally to 23. It also decided to resume flights in June to Buffalo and Louisville after originally ending those with the traditional Easter finish of snowbird stays, according to the carrier's network planners, Jeremy Ramirez and Nate Mulder. Other changes: ► In lieu of just seasonal, it now flies to Dallas and Houston year-round. ► Instead of ending its winter and spring schedule, Southwest adjusted its plans to extend flights through the summer to Cleveland, Denver, Grand Rapids, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Nashville and Providence. ► This all ties into a larger national expansion that includes five more flights to Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport, where Southwest Airlines debuted in February. Plus, it boosted the number of journeys through Tampa, Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Orlando. Spirit Airlines: Kansas City, Boston, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Indy and others In November, Spirit will begin offering flights to Louisville and Kansas City from Fort Myers. It also didn't end its normally seasonal flights. Instead, you can fly through summer to Boston, Cleveland, Columbus, Hartford, Indianapolis, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Pittsburgh and the New York City hub of Newark, New Jersey. Nationally, Spirit has been adding to Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa, Las Vegas and other places. Allegiant: Baltimore, among 45 spots Allegiant, which uses Punta Gorda Airport for about 45 destinations, has added Baltimore as one of its stops from there.