The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is known mostly for building roads and bridges, but this week the Department ramped up their commitment to the community by providing vital supplies to families on Pine Island as they recover from the impacts of Hurricane Ian.
FDOT restored access for vehicles to the Pine Island community earlier this week, and the Department’s efforts continued past opening the newly repaired bridge. Two large FDOT trucks packed full of supplies were some of the first vehicles across to reach the community. FDOT provided and distributed over 250 coolers, 16,000 pounds of ice, and almost 22,000 bottles of water to this hard-hit community.
“Providing service to our communities is at the very core of FDOT’s mission, and to extend that service far beyond our role in Florida’s infrastructure is a great feeling,” said Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Jared W. Perdue, P.E. “The tremendous devastation and disruption of normalcy for our communities is a stark reminder of the importance of kindness and generosity during times of hardship. When our fellow Floridians need us most, the FDOT team has unwaveringly answered the call to help communities recover– to say I’m proud of our team would be a complete understatement.”
Throughout the process of recovery following Hurricane Ian, FDOT has worked diligently to serve Florida’s residents and ensure the safety of infrastructure in impacted areas. Under the leadership of Governor Ron DeSantis, FDOT completed emergency structural repairs to the Pine Island Road Bridge in less than three days– well ahead of schedule– allowing the passage of first responders and debris removal crews to serve the nearly 9,000 residents on Pine Island. Additionally, FDOT Cut and Toss crews have cleared over 5,000 miles of Florida roadways to ensure safe travel for motorists and inspected over 2,500 bridges across the state for safe usage.
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