“I have lived here since I was 5, for 53 years of my life, in Lee County. I have never left here – I have raised my kids here and built my businesses here. I think this is paradise. Receiving the governor’s appointment only drives me more to keep the seat so I can continue to work to make Lee County a better place for generations to come.”

All it takes is one homeowner or, in some cases, a corporation, to try to impose this regulation on beaches, and soon others follow suit. GIS maps can be misleading to potential property owners, as in many cases it shows the property line going out into the water. In Florida the law states that all beaches are public from the mean high-water line down to the water, and that used to be a cut-and-dried rule. But in 2018 former Governor Rick Scott created House Bill 631 (now Florida Statute 163.035), which is known as the “Establishment of Recreational Customary Use.” It seemed like a good idea at the time, but now it has proven to make a touchy situation even touchier in the fact it can be interpreted in many ways … including ways that benefit the property owner, not the public.

Andy said the focus has changed somewhat in the last months. Initially, the emphasis was on vehicles, gas and safety equipment to help people evacuate. Today the evacuations have slowed significantly and the new emphasis is on restoring normalcy where they can. Housing is a major item. “We are working with a church in Kyiv to clear land and set up modular houses,” Andy reported. Each house can be put up for $1,900 to $2,000, and, when necessary, can house two families. “So a $4,000 donation from a church or group can make a real difference,” he said.