Coming up on Southwest Florida in focus.

Early voting is underway in southwest Florida.

WGCU looks at a tool that ca help you save time at the polls.

Plus, weeks after Hurricane Milton, trees look brown and lifeless.

Will they come back?

WGCU looks at how the recent hurricanes are changing our landscape.

That's next on WGCU.

Coming up on Southwest Florida in focus.

Voters are lining up to cast ballots.

If you're voting early by mail or in person, we show you the research tool to save time at the polls.

Plus rebuilding for the third time.

WGCU debuts a new documentary showing the resilience o Sanibel's historic general store and the community that's rallying behind it and honoring fallen first responders.

A 600 mile bike ride is raising money for grieving families.

Hello, I'm Sandra Viktorova.

Thank you so much for joining us.

Well, with just days left before Election Day, candidates are makin their final pitches for votes.

Early voting is now underway throughout our state.

Line at the Estero Recreation Center wrapped around the building on Monday morning.

Early voting sites will remain open through November 2nd for Lee and Collier counties.

In some counties, like Charlotte, you can cast early ballots through November 3rd.

Supervisors of elections offices throughout the state have posted wait times on their websites.

You can also drop off Mail-In ballots at early voting sites, and there's still time to research candidates and issues.

The League of Women Voters has a tool to help.

Many voters have their sample, and Mail-In ballots in hand, were only a few weeks away from Election Day.

If you need to research Canada's referendums and Florida's constitutional amendments, the League of Women Voters can help.

Joining me now is Laura Hanson Reynolds, who has worked on the league's voter website.

Vote 411.org.

Laura, thank you so much for joining us.

We appreciate it.

Thank you for having me.

So let's start with what kind of information, exact information folks can find.

And is that information nonpartisan?

Well, the purpose of vote for one one is to give you in we call it a one stop shop for all the information you need to vote.

You know, if you hadn't, if you were looking for voter registration months ago, you could have found that, where is your precinct office?

You can find that.

But people really wanted to see is what is on your ballot.

So when you go to vote for one 1.org, you'll scroll down and they'll ask you to put in your address.

And based upon your address it creates a personalized ballot of what are the races and issues that you're going to be asked to vote on.

And it just goes through race by race, by race and then issue by issue by issue.

But but for each race, it gives you a full description of exactly what is this job and, what powers or what decisions does this person make if they become elected, and how long is their term of office, and even how much are they going to be paid if they win?

And then it shows you the candidates and you can click on candidates and find in their own words, we don't ever change anything a candidate says what is their background?

What is their education.

And then they answer a variety of issue questions.

And you can click on one candidate and another one and compare them side by side to see what they have to say on the different issues.

I like to think that voters vote because they care about the issue, and they care about how they're going to be represented, and so it's only through getting information from the candidates directly.

And of course, advertising only tells you what they want to tell you.

When they answer questions to issues, they're they're telling you what we're asking them to provide to voters.

And you were saying you were telling me earlier you worked very hard to make sure that information is nonpartisan.

We are completely nonpartisan, which means the league never endorses a candidate.

We have no preference for parties, and we just want complete information to be available to voters and for it to have no bias to it whatsoever.

So, as you know, a lot of constitutional, important constitution amendments, up for voters to decide on, what specifically can they find about those?

So for each of the constitutional amendments in Florida and sometimes there's local referenda questions as well, ballot issues, we will provide the language that you're going to see on your ballot which is like pass by ordinance, but then we'll write a plain English description of what does it mean?

We'll tell you exactly what a yes vote means, what a no vote means.

And we'll tell you the organizations who have gone on the recor saying that they support this, and the organization that say they are in opposition to this measure or this amendment.

And then it's up to you to decide, based upon that information, to you choose to support it, or do you want to vote against it?

How do you get the information from candidates for candidate information?

Once you qualify with your local Supervisor of elections or the State Department in the state level, we will contact you through the email address and provide you with an individual link.

Each profile belongs to the candidate.

We make no changes to it, we make no edits to it, and they have to sign in and and answer.

They post a photograph of themselves.

You can see what they look like.

They give their background and their education, and then are 3 to 6 issue questions that they have to answer to tell voters where they stand on something that we think is important or that voters tell us is important.

And on that particular race.

And you can actually you can read all about one candidate, or you can click a button and compare a candidate against another one and get their side by side answers to see what they have to say on issues.

And it's interestin because it's in their own words.

You get a bit of a flavor from them about what, where, where they stand, what they support, what they don't support.

And, you know the idea is for you as a voter to choose the person who's going to best represent you.

Laura, thank you so much.

We appreciate it.

Oh, you're very welcome.

Thank you for having.

Still to com on Southwest Florida in focus.

It might look like fall in southwest Florida.

But those brown and lifeless trees are the result of Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

Coming up we learn how natur bounces back after major storms.

Plus what are you going to be for Halloween?

Patients at the Golisano Children's Hospital are already showing their holiday spirit.

We'll take you to their Halloween hurrah!

Coming up on WGCU Hurricanes Helene and Milton left a mark o Southwest Florida's environment.

High winds and storm surge not only damaged homes and businesses, they also changed the look o both coastal and inland plants.

Tree and mangroves have turned brown.

WGCU spoke with FGCU professor of ecology.

Win Everham.

He says native plants have evolved to withstand high winds and salt from hurricanes.

Those adaptations include dropping leaves to allow for new growth.

He says it will take time for trees to turn green, but local species will flourish again.

Probably most people who are watching this.

If they've been paying attention to the landscape, they saw, cypress near the just turned brown like a switch, you know, and this is inland, so it wasn't salt spray.

Brian's work with some of our undergraduate students is suggesting that they that the the needles experience of physical stress from from the wind and s they are dropping their needles.

Is that an adaptation because they've experience the revolutionary time probably.

Professor Evans says while damage from hurricanes is normal, he's concerned that we've seen so many strong storm in such a short amount of time.

Mangroves are adapted to periodically being subjected to high wind and storm surge.

They just are.

Do we kno that if they've experienced that on average on our landscape maybe once every 40 or 50 years, and now they're getting it, apparently on average 3 or 4 times a decad and maybe a couple times a year.

I mean, I'm hoping that what we just experienced is not the new normal.

If it is the new normal, is it a whole new ballgame?

I think I would say yes.

The professor compares recovering from a hurrican to recovering from a broken leg.

He says if a bone heals him and breaks again, it will take longer to recove and may never be the same again.

Well, power is always a major concern after a hurricane.

Some people in southwest Florida waited nearly a week for electricity to return after the storm.

Just days after Milton made landfall, the white House announced an additional $2 billion will go towar improving the electrical grid.

Some of that money will hel modernize technology in Florida.

WGU spoke to white House climate adviser Ali Zaidi about what it will take to make sure Florida's infrastructure will hold up to even stronger hurricanes.

What it looks like is hardening the critical infrastructure.

Putting essentially a steel outer coating around a substation so it doesn't flood when the surge comes in.

Making sure that we're burying lines or it makes sense even though it costs more on the front end.

It helps us bounce back faste on the back end in other places.

Recognizing that those old wooden pole that maybe went up decades ago no longer work in the face of winds that will just slice right through them.

So maybe they need to be replaced with steel and composite and cement poles that are reinforced a bunch of time and can withstand the pressures of the climate fueled disasters that we're seeing.

Those investments on the front end, that's exactly what we're doing, and that's exactly what will help us in storms in the future.

Bounce back faster.

Zaidi also says Florid needs to address concerns about the changing climate.

Climate impacts Florida in so many different ways.

Extreme heat is an exampl that was raging over the summer.

We have to build out cooling stations and access to places where seniors and others can show up if they don't have air conditioning in their homes.

We've got to expand tree cover.

Make sure that our infrastructure doesn't melt awa as the temperature gets hotter.

In obviously, hurricane season, the big thing is preparing not just for the storms and the wind, but also for the surge that comes with it.

Which is why building higher.

Recognizing that there's a whole bunch of scienc that's been done to understand the flows, the risks, from hurricanes and flooding and reflect that into building codes and standards that keep up with the climate science.

That's absolutely essential.

And we partnered with some of the local communities to do just that.

But look, climate shows up in a bunch of different ways.

We've got to bring the best science and invest on the front end and recognize that front end investment is what helps us go the distance.

And by the way, it pays off $10 for every dollar that we put in.

A new GQ documentary explores the power of community and family legacy on Sanibel.

The barrier island i constantly threatened by storms.

Sanibel island's store highlights the resiliency of Islanders and Bailey's General store as the family business rebuilds for the third time.

It is a fragile existence that we live here on Sanibel in the state of Florida.

We're a peninsula in the Gulf of Mexico.

We're very vulnerable to the weather.

We're very vulnerable to rising tides.

Our biggest threat to our community and our way of lif is the development of Florida.

In 2022, Hurricane Ian devastated Sanibel Island, Florida, the worst storm in a century.

When it hit, you just tore Hale out of everything.

Bailey's General Store, an island cornerstone since 1899, was a victim of the unprecedented surge.

Everything was upended.

I knew that this would be a really long road.

When that store came down.

It was kind of an emotional moment for the entire island.

Allowed us a chance to to mourn.

The general store represents legacy of resilience on Sanibel, where the community has fought to preserve their island and their way of life.

We're stubborn as hell, and there's a lot of us in this community that are very determined.

But in order to not go through this again we have to change some things.

Sanibel Island store traces the journey of a family, a business, and an island determined to rebuild and thrive.

me is SCU senior producer and writer Janine Zeitlin.

She's the producer narrator of Sanibel Island store.

Janine, congratulations.

Thank you, thank you.

Thanks for joining us.

Yeah, absolutely.

So you chronic this resilien spirit of people on the island through the Bailey family in this general store.

Why this particular family?

Well, I think if you have ever visited, Sanibel Island, you'll see Bailey Bailey's general store, you'll see Bailey beach Park, there's Bailey Matthews shell museum.

So I was really curious about this particular family, but also why this particular family has stayed for so many generations.

What has made them stay on the island and how they have adapted through various generations?

So they are rebuilding for the third time.

And this is such an important story for many reasons, which you'll share with us.

But they're rebuilding for the third time after Ian.

Are there lessons to be learne through this rebuilding process for all of us?

Absolutely.

I think, you know, they looked at the situation and they looked at the extreme weather, and that is continuing to hit the island.

And they said, we need to adapt.

You know, we can't stay the same if we want to stay on this island.

We need to adapt.

And they're not the only family who who have been along or been there for some such a long time and have said you know, we're staying, right?

Absolutely.

There are several families, several people on the island who have been there for generations since the early 19th century and even beforehand.

So it's really amazing to see the generational love for Sanibel Island.

And it really is a special place.

is there something that that that you learned through this process?

Because I was really surprised to see what a huge impact these hurricanes have had o this island and on the people.

Absolutely.

I think just acknowledgin that weather and Mother Nature are really part of lif on a barrier island and learning how weather changes the island and how the island changes because of the weather.

I think just seeing how resilient you have to be to live on a barrier island and commi to living on a barrier island.

What was the toughest part of this project for you?

There's so much history, incredible history.

It's such a deep and rich history.

Choosing the people to write about and to interview.

I mean, there's so many great characters on Sanibel, there's so many great stories on Sanibel.

So just limiting that, limiting in our film to just a handful was a challenge.

Since we have you here sneak peak upcoming projects that you can share.

We are all about, documenting the hurricane and the impact Hurrican Ian and the impacts of Hurricane Ian on our community and this particular season.

This past storm season has really been, a doozy, a really hard one for us.

So we have peopl who have been hit by In and Out, and we're now hit again by, even Debbie and Helene and Milton.

So we're looking at how you rebuild in this kind of environment.

We thank you for your reporting and congratulations.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Firs responders from all over Florida and some other states are embarking on a grueling journey ridin bicycles for 600 miles as work.

As Mike Walter reports the raising money for families of Florida law enforcement officers, firefighters and paramedics who have died in the line of duty.

Last year.

Chief Pearson Jackson.

Delray beach fire rescue.

Ray Keith, Lee County EMS James McPhee.

The names of fallen heroes marked the start of the fundraiser with 50 cyclists pedaling for pledges.

This is the guys from all over that wanted to keep that promise to never forget.

Jeff Morris i a recently retired firefighter and co-founder of what he named the Brotherhood Ride.

He started it after a fire killed nine firefighters in Charleston, South Carolina.

So ride safe, ride strong and may you feel the presence of those you honor with every mile.

Godspeed.

This year's ride began Tuesday with cyclists leaving the Naples area.

They bike east to Miami, then north along the coast, with stops in Orlando and Jacksonville.

After eight days on the road, they wind up in Live Oak in the Panhandle.

Along the way, cyclists meet the loved ones of those who gave all.

We're all hot and sweaty and they just wrap their arms around us.

A lot of times there's tears.

I'm crying, they're crying.

And, everybody has some reason why they're doing this.

I truly think that I knew in my back my heart that if something ever happened to me while I was on the job, I'd wanted organizations like this to come and support my wife.

And that's really what keeps driving me.

Each cyclist must get at least $500 in pledged donations.

Most riders top $1,000 each.

The money goes to people like Laney McPhee and her two Cape Coral sons.

Laney says her husband, Jim was exposed to toxic chemicals during and after the World Trade Center attacks in 2001.

The family later moved to Lee County where Jim worked as a paramedic.

But Laney says Jim's health deteriorated, forcing him to retire early.

Jim then died at age 57 last year.

She talked about the cyclists.

They're angels, like Jim sent them down to Shawn and Kevin and I helping us out.

They didn't have to do this.

It's amazing.

How they think of us.

And I wish she could be here.

This will be something we'll never forget.

Nick Pinsky of North Collier Fire is writing for the first time and says he'll remembe first responders are one family.

It's going to be a new, new feeling because, trying to relate to people that you don't know, but you do understand that that we're all one in the same running these calls throughout the journey.

Elks lodges provide cyclists hot meals and places to sleep each night.

Support teams right ahead of and behind the cyclist to hand ou water and snacks every 20 miles.

And local law enforcement often escorts the riders on busy roads.

Lieutenant Daniel Jackson of North Collier Fir is riding for the fourth year.

He says meeting the families motivates him.

There's a lot of times when there's not a dry eye in the room, you know, you can't help but but feel that and doing what we do.

It's a nice release for some of these people because, you know, we're tough guys.

We're tough girls.

We're meant to you know, push everything down, you know, toughen up and, you know, sometimes you you meet these families and you see the kids, who don't have a mother or father anymore.

And it's it's hard not to get emotional.

17 year old Shawn McPhee says he appreciates the cyclists.

It feels really good that people can take the time out of their life to, you know, do somethin that's physically and mentally pretty hard to do with 600 miles and do it for people that they've probably never even met.

The Brotherhood ride hopes to raise as much as $70,000 this year.

It'll be divided among the families of 13 men and women, and one agency that trained a K-9 that died on duty.

For GCU news, I'm Mike Walter.

This year, cyclists came from as far away as New York State to honor the fallen heroes.

Well, you'll probably see little firefighters and police officers trick or treating in a few days.

Coming up, we take you to a special Halloween party happening in the hospital.

Find out how sick kid get to join the fun that's next on Southwest Florida.

InFocus.

Going t the hospital is hard for anyone, but being sick as a kid can be really scary.

That's why a group of volunteer got a jump start on Halloween, bringing some scary joy to some special patients at Southwest Florida's Children's Hospital.

fair to say we are her with our Halloween celebration celebrating over 20 years of partnership with Spirit Halloween.

Every year we partner with local stores and the donations that customer make at the stores go directly to Golisano Children's Hospital, to the Child Life Program.

The program exists to help kids get through their treatment.

And today we're here with the staff from Spirit of Halloween handing out costumes, painting faces, playing games.

You have a really important.

Thanks for your service and just face painting and helpin with the kids with little crafts and just making it a fun experience for them.

You know, being in character, helping them pick out costumes, whatever, you know get them out of their hospital beds for a few hour and you're doing something fun.

I was a very sick kid growing up.

I have been in the hospita for pretty much every Christmas, New Year's, Valentine's Day, Easter, birthday, or any sort of special event.

I had to spend i in the hospital at some point.

And Halloween is one I vividly remember because of spirit, and I got to participate in the Spirit of Children program when I was just a kid in the hospital around the Halloween time.

And it's very full circle for me to be here today, working with spirit and getting to provide this experience for the kids, that I was one of those kids a long time ago.

Hi.

Are you shopping?

I try to find something good.

The neat thing is the progra is funded entirely by donations.

So the donations made at thes local stores make a difference.

Since 2007, it's raised over 441,000 for child life.

We're here to have some fun.

This is what it's all about to make hospitals less scary for kids.

Being a purveyor of Hallowee is so much fun in and of itself, but this is reall the most special thing about it.

You're welcome.

And we love to se those happy trick or treaters.

Southwest Floridians may still be struggling financially from the recent hurricanes, but help is availabl next week on Southwest Florida.

In focus from your mortgage credit cards, and even insurance.

Find out what responsibilitie these companies have in helping you recover financially.

We'll have that story and much more when you join u next week on Southwest Florida.

InFocus.

Have a great week everyone.