Aging is inevitable, and for many, it signals the beginning of a new chapter - one where you cross off bucket list items and live life to the fullest, on your own terms. However, for some women, aging is a horrible prospect, filled with chronic fatigue, irritability, and inability to perform in the bedroom. If you're concerned about life in middle age and beyond, we've got great news: there are easy, proven steps that you can take to help stop the negative effect of aging.
Global Life Rejuvenation was founded to give women a new lease on life - one that includes less body fat, fewer mood swings, and more energy as you age. If you're ready to look and feel younger, it's time to consider HRT (hormone replacement therapy), and growth hormone peptides. These therapies for men and women are effective, safe, and customized to fit your goals, so you can keep loving life as you get older.
HRT, and growth hormone peptide therapies bridge the gap between your old life and the more vibrant, happier version of you. With a simple click or call, you can be well on your way to a brighter future. After all, you deserve to be the one in charge of your wellness and health. Now, you have the tools to do so - backed by science and applied by our team of HRT experts with more than 13 years of experience.
As women age, their hormones begin to go through changes that affect their day-to-day lives. For women, hormone deficiency and imbalance usually occur during menopause and can cause chronic fatigue, hot flashes, and mood swings, among other issues. Hormone replacement therapy helps correct hormone imbalances in women, helping them feel more vibrant and virile as they age.
Often, HRT treatments give patients enhanced quality of life that they didn't think was possible - even in their 60's and beyond.
The benefits for women are numerous and are available today through Global Life Rejuvenation.
As women age, their bodies begin to go through significant changes that affect their quality of life. This change is called menopause and marks the end of a woman's menstrual cycle and reproduction ability. Though there is no specific age when this change occurs, the average age of menopause onset is 51 years old. However, according to doctors, menopause officially starts 12 months after a woman's final period. During the transition to menopause, women's estrogen and other hormones begin to deplete.
As that happens, many women experience severe symptoms. These symptoms include:
The symptoms of hormone deficiency can be concerning and scary for both women and their spouses. However, if you're getting older and notice some of these symptoms, there is reason to be hopeful. Hormone replacement therapy and anti-aging medicine for women can correct imbalances that happen during menopause. These safe, effective treatments leave you feeling younger, healthier, and more vibrant.
The most common reason for menopause is the natural decline in a female's reproductive hormones. However, menopause can also result from the following situations:
Oophorectomy: This surgery, which removes a woman's ovaries, causes immediate menopause. Symptoms and signs of menopause in this situation can be severe, as the hormonal changes happen abruptly.
Chemotherapy: Cancer treatments like chemotherapy can induce menopause quickly, causing symptoms to appear shortly after or even during treatment.
Ovarian Insufficiency: Also called premature ovarian failure, this condition is essentially premature menopause. It happens when a woman's ovaries quit functioning before the age of 40 and can stem from genetic factors and disease. Only 1% of women suffer from premature menopause, but HRT can help protect the heart, brain, and bones.
For many women, menopause is a trying time that can be filled with many hormonal hurdles to jump through. A little knowledge can go a long way, whether you're going through menopause now or are approaching "that" age.
Here are some of the most common issues that women experience during menopause:
If you're a woman going through menopause and find that you have become increasingly depressed, you're not alone. It's estimated that 15% of women experience depression to some degree while going through menopause. What many women don't know is that depression can start during perimenopause, or the years leading up to menopause.
Depression can be hard to diagnose, especially during perimenopause and menopause. However, if you notice the following signs, it might be time to speak with a physician:
Remember, if you're experiencing depression, you're not weak or broken - you're going through a very regular emotional experience. The good news is that with proper treatment from your doctor, depression isn't a death sentence. And with HRT and anti-aging treatment for women, depression could be the catalyst you need to enjoy a new lease on life.
Hot flashes - they're one of the most well-known symptoms of menopause. Hot flashes are intense, sudden feelings of heat across a woman's upper body. Some last second, while others last minutes, making them incredibly inconvenient and uncomfortable for most women.
Symptoms of hot flashes include:
Typically, hot flashes are caused by a lack of estrogen. Low estrogen levels negatively affect a woman's hypothalamus, the part of the brain that controls body temperature and appetite. Low estrogen levels cause the hypothalamus to incorrectly assume the body is too hot, dilating blood vessels to increase blood flow. Luckily, most women don't have to settle for the uncomfortable feelings that hot flashes cause. HRT treatments for women often stabilize hormones, lessening the effects of hot flashes and menopause in general.
Mood swings are common occurrences for most people - quick shifts from happy to angry and back again, triggered by a specific event. And while many people experience mood swings, they are particularly common for women going through menopause. That's because, during menopause, the female's hormones are often imbalanced. Hormone imbalances and mood swings go hand-in-hand, resulting in frequent mood changes and even symptoms like insomnia.
The rate of production of estrogen, a hormone that fluctuates during menopause, largely determines the rate of production the hormone serotonin, which regulates mood, causing mood swings.
Luckily, HRT and anti-aging treatments in Venice Gardens, FL for women work wonders for mood swings by regulating hormone levels like estrogen. With normal hormone levels, women around the world are now learning that they don't have to settle for mood swings during menopause.
Staying fit and healthy is hard for anyone living in modern America. However, for women with hormone imbalances during perimenopause or menopause, weight gain is even more serious. Luckily, HRT treatments for women coupled with a physician-led diet can help keep weight in check. But which hormones need to be regulated?
Lowered sexual desire - three words most men and women hate to hear. Unfortunately, for many women in perimenopausal and menopausal states, it's just a reality of life. Thankfully, today, HRT and anti-aging treatments Venice Gardens, FL can help women maintain a normal, healthy sex drive. But what causes low libido in women, especially as they get older?
The hormones responsible for low libido in women are progesterone, estrogen, and testosterone.
Progesterone production decreases during perimenopause, causing low sex drive in women. Lower progesterone production can also cause chronic fatigue, weight gain, and other symptoms. On the other hand, lower estrogen levels during menopause lead to vaginal dryness and even vaginal atrophy or loss of muscle tension.
Lastly, testosterone plays a role in lowered libido. And while testosterone is often grouped as a male hormone, it contributes to important health and regulatory functionality in women. A woman's testosterone serves to heighten sexual responses and enhances orgasms. When the ovaries are unable to produce sufficient levels of testosterone, it often results in a lowered sex drive.
Often uncomfortable and even painful, vaginal dryness is a serious problem for sexually active women. However, like hair loss in males, vaginal dryness is very common - almost 50% of women suffer from it during menopause.
Getting older is just a part of life, but that doesn't mean you have to settle for the side effects. HRT and anti-aging treatments for women correct vaginal dryness by re-balancing estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. When supplemented with diet and healthy living, your vagina's secretions are normalized, causing discomfort to recede.
Uterine fibroids - they're perhaps the least-known symptom of menopause and hormone imbalances in women. That's because these growths on the uterus are often symptom-free. Unfortunately, these growths can be cancerous, presenting a danger for women as they age.
Many women will have fibroids at some point. Because they're symptomless, they're usually found during routine doctor exams. Some women only get one or two, while others may have large clusters of fibroids. Because fibroids are usually caused by hormone imbalances, hysterectomies have been used as a solution, forcing women into early menopause.
Advances in HRT and anti-aging medicine for women give females a safer, non-surgical option without having to experience menopause early. At Global Life Rejuvenation, our expert physicians will implement a customized HRT program to stabilize your hormones and reduce the risk of cancerous fibroid growth.
Endometriosis symptoms are much like the effects of PMS, and include pelvic pain, fatigue, cramping, and bloating. While doctors aren't entirely sure what causes this painful, uncomfortable condition, most agree that hormones - particularly xenoestrogens - play a factor.
Endometriosis symptoms are much like the effects of PMS and include pelvic pain, fatigue, cramping, and bloating. While doctors aren't entirely sure what causes this painful, uncomfortable condition, most agree that hormones - particularly xenoestrogens - play a factor.
Xenoestrogen is a hormone that is very similar to estrogen. Too much xenoestrogen is thought to stimulate endometrial tissue growth. HRT for women helps balance these hormones and, when used with a custom nutrition program, can provide relief for women across the U.S.
Hormone stability is imperative for a healthy sex drive and for a normal, stress-free life during menopause. HRT and anti-aging treatments for women balance the hormones that your body has altered due to perimenopause or menopause.
HRT for women is a revolutionary step in helping women live their best lives, even as they grow older. However, at Global Life Rejuvenation, we know that no two patients are the same. That's why we specialize in holistic treatments that utilize HRT, combined with healthy nutrition, supplements, and fitness plans that maximize hormone replacement treatments.
If you've been suffering through menopause, is HRT the answer? That's hard to say without an examination by a trusted physician, but one thing's for sure. When a woman balances her hormone levels, she has a much better shot at living a regular life with limited depression, weight gain, mood swings, and hot flashes.
Here are just a few additional benefits of HRT and anti-aging treatments for females:
Hormone imbalance causes a litany of issues. But with anti-aging treatments for women, females can better process calcium, keep their cholesterol levels safe, and maintain a healthy vagina. By replenishing the body's estrogen supply, HRT can relieve symptoms from menopause and protect against osteoporosis. But that's just the start.
Global Life Rejuvenation's patients report many more benefits of HRT and anti-aging medicine for women:
If you're ready to feel better, look better, and recapture the vitality of your youth, it's time to contact Global Life Rejuvenation. It all starts with an in-depth consultation, where we will determine if HRT and anti-aging treatments for women are right for you. After all, every patient's body and hormone levels are different. Since all our treatment options are personalized, we do not have a single threshold for treatment. Instead, we look at our patient's hormone levels and analyze them on a case-by-case basis.
At Global Life Rejuvenation, we help women rediscover their youth with HRT treatment for women. We like to think of ourselves as an anti-aging concierge service, guiding and connecting our patients to the most qualified HRT physicians available. With customized HRT treatment plan for women, our patients experience fewer menopausal symptoms, less perimenopause & menopause depression, and often enjoy a more youth-like appearance.
Growth hormone peptides are an innovative therapy that boosts the natural human growth hormone production in a person's body. These exciting treatment options help slow down the aging process and give you a chance at restoring your youth.
Sermorelin is a synthetic hormone peptide, like GHRH, which triggers the release of growth hormones. When used under the care of a qualified physician, Sermorelin can help you lose weight, increase your energy levels, and help you feel much younger.
Human growth hormone (HGH) therapy has been used for years to treat hormone deficiencies. Unlike HGH, which directly replaces declining human growth hormone levels, Sermorelin addresses the underlying cause of decreased HGH, stimulating the pituitary gland naturally. This approach keeps the mechanisms of growth hormone production active.
Ipamorelin helps to release growth hormones in a person's body by mimicking a peptide called ghrelin. Ghrelin is one of three hormones which work together to regulate the growth hormone levels released by the pituitary gland. Because Ipamorelin stimulates the body to produce growth hormone, your body won't stop its natural growth hormone production, which occurs with synthetic HGH.
Ipamorelin causes growth hormone secretion that resembles natural release patterns rather than being constantly elevated from HGH. Because ipamorelin stimulates the natural production of growth hormone, our patients can use this treatment long-term with fewer health risks.
One of the biggest benefits of Ipamorelin is that it provides significant short and long-term benefits in age management therapies. Ipamorelin can boost a patient's overall health, wellbeing, and outlook on life.
When there is an increased concentration of growth hormone by the pituitary gland, there are positive benefits to the body. Some benefits include:
Whether you are considering our HRT and anti-aging treatments for women in Venice Gardens, FL, we are here to help. The first step to reclaiming your life begins by contacting Global Life Rejuvenation. Our friendly, knowledgeable HRT experts can help answer your questions and walk you through our procedures. From there, we'll figure out which treatments are right for you. Before you know it, you'll be well on your way to looking and feeling better than you have in years!
866-793-9933
Company: When David and Elizabeth Taylor purchased their original Venice garden center in 2003, the building was essentially a rundown shed. The roof leaked, the parking lot wasn’t paved, and there was no air conditioning. The couple put in $800 worth of light bulbs the first day they owned the place.MRT Lawn and Garden Center has since grown from its humble beginnings to a pair of locations, one in south Sarasota County and one in Port Charlotte, which opened last year. The company is now one of the largest pla...
Company: When David and Elizabeth Taylor purchased their original Venice garden center in 2003, the building was essentially a rundown shed. The roof leaked, the parking lot wasn’t paved, and there was no air conditioning. The couple put in $800 worth of light bulbs the first day they owned the place.
MRT Lawn and Garden Center has since grown from its humble beginnings to a pair of locations, one in south Sarasota County and one in Port Charlotte, which opened last year. The company is now one of the largest plant nurseries in Southwest Florida, serving customers looking for gardening, landscaping and decorating products and services. In 2019 MRT partnered with ACE Hardware, in which the Taylors operate independently, or what Ace calls a co-op, to offer a more complete shopping experience at both retail locations by offering full outdoor living, hardware, paint, electrical and plumbing departments.
'The kids are showing an interest in wanting to continue on. Our succession plan is not in stone — we haven’t gotten to that point.' David Taylor
Succession plan: The Taylors’ entire second generation now works in the company. The oldest, Joshua, 27, runs the landscaping division, which accounts for about a third of the total company revenue. Justin, 25, handles the human side of the operation, such as marketing, human resources and retail compliance. The youngest, Jessica, 22, started her full-time role shortly before the pandemic. She manages relationships and orders products from vendors for decor and pottery, as well as ordering items from ACE Hardware.
David and Elizabeth Taylor are no strangers to a family business. David’s family hails from an agricultural line of farmers throughout Florida. His grandfather’s pine table still sits in their conference room.
Both David and Elizabeth feel too young to turn over the family business entirely. At 58 and 54, respectively, the Taylors think a full succession plan conversation might happen when they are in their 60s or 70s. “The kids are showing an interest in wanting to continue on,” David says. “Our succession plan is not in stone — we haven’t gotten to that point.”
Challenges: Every Sunday, the Taylors try to have a family dinner. They aim to keep work and life separate — but every so often, something slips in. Justin’s boyfriend has gotten so used to this phenomenon that even one look can communicate his frustration.
“Other family members not in the business and our friends all feel the same way once the conversation goes to work,” Justin says. “They don’t know anything about it, and they feel left out.”
Like many family businesses, the lines between family and business blur often. “Sometimes I feel like we have so much family time at work that we might go a while without having family time outside of work,” Justin says. “We do take for granted seeing each other so much. We have to focus on spending quality time together when we do.”
And although they usually don’t mind talking about work while not at work, there are times where they have to set boundaries. In a what-not-to-do moment, they once went on a family vacation to Mexico and spent the whole time talking about palm trees.
The Taylors are fortunate in having friends and colleagues with family businesses in insurance and finance, people they lean on for advice. But their family working style is in a niche all its own — 90% of their schedules are unpredictable, and both stores are open seven days a week. “We’re the only family that we know of that has the workplace family dynamic that we do,” Josh says.
Justin, ever the organizer, once tried to make the entire family a shared calendar to schedule events. In recalling the memory, all of Taylors laugh. Their routines changed so much day to day that it was never going to work.
What will the company look like in five years: In July 2019, David had an unexpected health emergency.
The Taylors were in the middle of building the Port Charlotte garden center, and David was digging a ditch. One day later, he discovered he would have to have open heart surgery.
The health scare has weighed on the Taylors. “I’m definitely ready to slow down,” David says.
So although nothing is imminent, as their father contemplates taking a step back, each sibling is starting to find their place in the company. They certainly have a breadth of experience — Justin and Josh got their start loading bags of mulch in elementary school while Jessica created fairy gardens of succulents and monogrammed items for customers. The trio is likely to learn a lot more in the next five to 10 years about navigating a family business. “The three of us all respect the silos that each of us work in, and we try not to step on each other’s toes,” Justin says.
Click the links below to hear best practices from other families working through business succession and experts who have helped others.
VENICE, Fla., April 19, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Discovery Senior Living community Aston Gardens at Pelican Pointe has been named a 2021 Best of Venice Award Winner in two categories, including "Best Assisted Living (Under 50 Beds)" and "Best Overall Assisted Living." Conducted annually by The Venice Gondolier Sun, the Best of Venice Awards are 100% citizen-voted and honor the area's top businesses in dozens of wide-ranging categories. In addition to the two category wins, Aston Gardens at Pelican Pointe was named ...
VENICE, Fla., April 19, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Discovery Senior Living community Aston Gardens at Pelican Pointe has been named a 2021 Best of Venice Award Winner in two categories, including "Best Assisted Living (Under 50 Beds)" and "Best Overall Assisted Living." Conducted annually by The Venice Gondolier Sun, the Best of Venice Awards are 100% citizen-voted and honor the area's top businesses in dozens of wide-ranging categories. In addition to the two category wins, Aston Gardens at Pelican Pointe was named a finalist in two other categories, including "Best Assisted Living - Independent" and "Best Overall Retirement Community."
Originally opened in 2003, Aston Gardens at Pelican Pointe is built amidst a charming, park-like setting just one block from East Venice Avenue and the Venice Commons shopping center. The community, which sits adjacent to the Pelican Pointe Golf & Country Club property, offers Active Independent Living, Assisted Living and an exclusive, SHINE® Memory Care living option.
The continuum-of-care campus is home to 298 Active Independent Living, 31 Assisted Living and 12 SHINE® Memory Care suites and one- and two-bedroom apartment homes. Residents also enjoy daily, chef-prepared meals and access to resort-quality amenities, including multiple dining venues; a heated outdoor pool; senior-specific health and fitness center; movie theater with digital surround sound; professional beauty salon and barbershop with spa services and much more.
In 2022, the community unveiled the results of a $3 million designer remodel, which imparted fresh aesthetics and delivered a host of enhancements to indoor and outdoor amenities spanning the community's more than 29,000 square feet of living and common areas.
"We are honored and excited to accept a pair of 2021 Best of Venice Awards for excellence in senior living," said Therese Williams, Executive Director of Aston Gardens at Pelican Pointe. "With these awards being citizen-voted, it's the truest testament of all that the new aesthetics, amenities and experiences our team members are making possible each day are having the meaningful, positive impact we've envisioned in the lives of our residents."
Located at 1000 Aston Gardens Drive with accessibility from both East Venice Ave. and Jacaranda, Aston Gardens at Pelican Pointe is one of six Aston Gardens communities owned and operated by Bonita Springs-based Discovery Senior Living. Aston Gardens is part of that company's national, multi-brand portfolio that includes 110 upscale senior living communities across 19 states. Discovery Design Concepts, the company's in-house design group, planned and executed Aston Gardens' recent remodel.
About Discovery Senior Living
Discovery Senior Living is a family of companies that includes Discovery Management Group, Morada Senior Living, TerraBella Senior Living, Discovery Development Group, Discovery Design Concepts, Discovery Marketing Group, and Discovery At Home, a Medicare-certified home healthcare company. With almost three decades of experience, the award-winning management group has been developing, building, marketing, and operating upscale senior-living communities across the United States. By leveraging its innovative "Experiential Living" philosophy across a growing portfolio of more than 15,000 existing homes or homes under development, Discovery Senior Living is a recognized industry leader for lifestyle customization and today ranks among the 10 largest U.S. senior living operators and providers.
Media Inquiries:
Sam Mohtady, Senior Marketing Manager
[email protected]| 239.676.2870
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Aston Gardens at Pelican Pointe claimed two 2021 Best of Venice Awards in a pair of seniors housing categories.
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Capital Bureau | USA TODAY NETWORK – FLORIDATALLAHASSEE — Hurricane Ian continued its wobbly path toward Florida, with the Sarasota-Charlotte County line now looming as a likely landfall site Wednesday night, Gov. Ron DeSantis said.The city of Venice in Sarasota w...
Capital Bureau | USA TODAY NETWORK – FLORIDA
TALLAHASSEE — Hurricane Ian continued its wobbly path toward Florida, with the Sarasota-Charlotte County line now looming as a likely landfall site Wednesday night, Gov. Ron DeSantis said.
The city of Venice in Sarasota was earlier projected as the Category 3 hurricane likely location for touching the Florida mainland. But the trajectory is now taking the storm packing 120 m.p.h. winds a bit further south, according to the National Hurricane Center.
“This thing’s the real deal,” DeSantis said Tuesday evening at the state’s Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee. “It’s a major, major storm.”
Some 2.5 million Floridians are under evacuation orders along the west coast – more than one-tenth of the state’s population. Fifty-six counties now have announced school closures as Ian approaches.
Tolls have been lifted on roadways in the evacuation counties, with the covered area now expanded into much of Central Florida. State officials said they haven’t heard problems from evacuees finding no hotel space along their routes.
Live Updates: Hurricane Ian's path, predictions and Florida Gov. DeSantis' latest
'Impacts are going to be far and wide': DeSantis urges entire Gulf Coast to prepare for Ian
DeSantis said Ian’s path now has it heading inland, likely downgraded to a tropical storm, at some point following landfall. The storm is eventually on track to make its way out of the state anywhere from Volusia to St. Johns County on the Atlantic Coast.
DeSantis said the storm will act, “almost like it’s riding I-4.”
“It’s going to meander through the state all the rest of Wednesday night, all of Thursday and it’s going to exit most likely sometime on Friday morning,” he added. “It’s going to be a lot of impacts. And it’s going to be felt far and wide across the state of Florida.”
President Joe Biden and Gov. Ron DeSantis communicated with each other late Tuesday, with Hurricane Ian fast approaching Florida, according to White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
“President Biden spoke this evening with Governor DeSantis of Florida to discuss the steps the Federal government is taking to help Florida prepare for Hurricane Ian. The President and the Governor committed to continued close coordination,” tweeted Jean-Pierre.
The call occurred between the two at 6:30 p.m., according to the governor’s schedule.
The president had previously spoken to the mayors of Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater about the storm.
Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell said she and DeSantis had spoken last Friday.
Criswell said Biden is “very focused” on making sure Florida has the resources it needs.
The state has 5,000 Florida National Guard members in place to assist with the storm and its aftermath. Another 28,000 utility personnel also have been deployed in Florida to help with power restoration, DeSantis said.
Guthrie said potential power outages can be expected statewide. He also said those looking to leave the storm's path may not have to go far.
"Many people in the Southwest Florida area, your best bet is going to be evacuate across the state," Guthrie said. "Just go straight across the state to Broward, Miami-Dade, Palm Beach."
Charlotte County resident Connie Gosselin told CNN Tuesday this was her first hurricane and that she felt safer riding out the storm in a local shelter instead of her home.
“I’ve never been in a hurricane,” said Gosselin. “This is my first time and my first time at a shelter, but I feel better here than if I would all alone at home.”
The governor and emergency officials continue to press Floridians on Tuesday to follow evacuation orders in advance of the storm’s arrival.
“You still have time today to execute what you need to do,” DeSantis said.
The governor said that the prospect of Ian continuing its eastward path even after a landfall in Sarasota County raises new risk for Florida.
"If you're in some of those interior parts of the state of Florida, up I-4 almost...it's not going to be a Category 3 hurricane by the time it gets to you, but anticipate interruptions, anticipate wind, anticipate a lot of rain," DeSantis said.
DeSantis also traveled Tuesday to Sarasota, where officials had expanded the county’s evacuation order to include its Level B areas, neighboring communities to the Level A neighborhoods where evacuations had already been ordered on barrier islands and in low-lying sections.
“Most of the forecasts have (Hurricane Ian) slowing down to almost a crawl,” DeSantis said. “And what that means is it’s going to dump an inordinate amount of rain.”
About 2.5 million Floridians – more than one-tenth of the state’s population – are now under an evacuation order ahead of Hurricane Ian. School closures are now in place in 35 counties, DeSantis said.
“Make sure you’re making your finishing preparations,” DeSantis said. “Make sure you’re doing what you need to do to be safe. You’re not going to get a mulligan on this one.”
President Biden on Tuesday sought to reassure millions of Florida residents in the path of Hurricane Ian that federal emergency management officials are on the ground and ready to assist the state before, during and after the dangerous storm strikes the state.
Biden, speaking from the White House Rose Garden, said he spoke by telephone with the mayors of Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater.
“I told each one of them [that] whatever they need … contact me directly and they know how to do that,” he said. “I have a lot of personnel down there already. We're here to support them in every way we can.”
Biden also urged Floridians to obey instructions of state and local officials to evacuate when ordered.
“Your safety is more important than anything,” he said. “I know our hearts are with everyone who will feel the effects of this storm and will be with you every step of the way. We're not going away.”
Earlier at a White House briefing with reporters, Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell said her agency and Florida officials were working very closely together in preparation for the storm.
Criswell said she spoke with DeSantis on Friday, as directed by Biden, and that the federal government had a strong team working side-by-side with the governor and his staff that would continue to engage with him.
She said that Gracia B. Szczech, regional administrator for FEMA Region 4, is traveling with the governor "to a few areas" Tuesday to make sure they understand their emergency response needs.
“I think the communication we have had with the state officials has been excellent,’ Criswell said.
"Our biggest concern as we wait for the storm to make landfall is storm surge," Criswell told White House reporters.
She said storm surge is the leading cause of hurricane-related deaths.
"The decision you choose to make may mean the difference between life and death," she said.
John Kennedy is a reporter in the USA TODAY Network’s Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at [email protected], or on Twitter at @JKennedyReport
USA Today Network-Florida government accountability reporter Douglas Soule is based in Tallahassee, Fla. He can be reached at [email protected] Twitter: @DouglasSoule
FORT MYERS | To put it simply, Hurricane Ian was a monster. The true scope is still unknown more than a week after landfall.Following the passage of Hurricane Ian, people emerged from their homes to find the world turned upside-down. The spectrum of damage to the communities within the Diocese of Venice ranges from obliterated homes, floods and piles of yard debris and every impact in between.Below are a few stories of the hurricane from around the Diocese:Father Patrick O’Connor, Oblate of St. Fr...
FORT MYERS | To put it simply, Hurricane Ian was a monster. The true scope is still unknown more than a week after landfall.
Following the passage of Hurricane Ian, people emerged from their homes to find the world turned upside-down. The spectrum of damage to the communities within the Diocese of Venice ranges from obliterated homes, floods and piles of yard debris and every impact in between.
Below are a few stories of the hurricane from around the Diocese:
Father Patrick O’Connor, Oblate of St. Francis de Sales and Pastor of Jesus the Worker Parish in Fort Myers, decided to ride out the storm inside the Parish church with Parochial Vicar Father Jose del Olmo. This was safe a bet because the new church was completed in 2011 to the highest standards. The area around the church is a very poor migrant community with many manufactured homes or houses built in the 1950s. Because many sought safety in the church when Hurricane Irma approached in 2017, Father O’Connor posted on all the doors of the church and Parish offices a list of nearby shelters. When the storm began most went to shelters, but when it got worse, the church was the safest place. “It was crazy!” Father O’Connor explained. “Lots of families… We could not even open most of the doors because of the wind.” Everyone was safe as the church came through unscathed. However, the Parish Hall lost roof tiles, and San Jose Mission in South Fort Myers, which is administered by Jesus the Worker, was inundated with flood waters. In the days after the storm passed, volunteers cleaned out the Mission church and hall as best they could. Since then, the Parish has a been abuzz with activity of relief efforts to help the community with needed emergency supplies with the assistance of several organizations, including Catholic Charities, Diocese of Venice, Inc. (Click to see accompanying story)
Nestled due east of Bradenton, St. Michael Parish in Wauchula sits in Hardee County, a rural community that prides itself on independence and resilience in times of adversity. Hurricane Ian has been the toughest challenge so far, but the spirit of the people remains strong as many families recover from the double hit of wind damage followed soon after by massive river flooding which caused hundreds to lose their homes to the Peace River. The Parish has a robust food pantry which is operated by a dedicated group of volunteers and the religious sisters who serve the community, Servant Sisters of the Virgin of Matara. With power out, it became clear that the food in the freezers would not last. So, a barbecue was planned for the night after the storm on Sept. 29. This was such a huge success; hot meals have been served each night since. Families emptied their own refrigerators and freezers before the food spoiled so the food was plentiful. Despite not having electricity, parish volunteers utilized a propane-powered stove and oven, outdoor grills and battery-powered lanterns to cook a hot meal each day following the hurricane. Outside large pots of pasta boiled while lasagna cooked in the kitchen of the Parish Hall. Since the storm, about 420 hot meals have been served each night. During the day, as more and more relief supplies arrive, distributions are taking place helping people get through each day. (Click here to see related story)
When three semitrailers full of supplies arrived at St. Katharine Drexel parish in Cape Coral on Tuesday, Sept. 4, and no forklifts were to be seen, a call went out for help. And help arrived in the form of dozens of volunteers, including many from the Parish Youth Outreach. These teens stepped up to help. The Cape Coral region experienced extreme damage and flooding and, even a week later, less than 20 percent of the city had power and few had drinkable water. The supplies being unloaded were desperately needed, even by some of the teens helping. Pastor Father Ricky Varner praised the youth for assisting in the difficult conditions.
Some of the worst damage in the northern portions of the Diocese was to the roof of Incarnation Parish Church. Large chunks of copper roofing peeled off and were scattered everywhere. Some landed in the parking lot, others into carefully manicured gardens. One large piece that flew off the church building landed in a prayer garden where a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary stands and can be seen through a window as the faithful enter church. A post on social media from the Parish read: “Several large pieces fell here surrounding our Blessed Mother statue, but thankfully causing no harm.”
St. Vincent de Paul Society in Naples delivered Meals on Wheels amid Hurricane Ian’s destruction. Thanks to volunteers and staff, the Society was able to deliver shelf stable food to those who rely on Meals on Wheels for their daily meals. The Society posted to social media a day after Ian passed, “The destruction that was seen while delivering was truly heartbreaking.”
As the hurricane blew through Sarasota, the storm created a new skylight for Bishop Frank J. Dewane. Two large branches from an oak tree pierced the ceiling of his living room, causing damage and water to intrude. “I have two trees in my home, but I didn’t plant them,” Bishop Dewane said when explaining the damage to parishioners at Incarnation Parish in Sarasota on Oct. 1. The Bishop said he feels blessed to be alive after such a close encounter with an oak tree. “My issues are nothing compared to others who are going through a much greater loss. Roofs can be repaired. If not, I will decorate them for Christmas. The true focus now is on repairing the lives of those who are suffering in our Diocese.”
Check back in the next issue of the Florida Catholic for stories of hope in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian.
[email protected] PORT — In hopes of having the question settled before the 2020 census, North Port city commissioners on Monday took the first of several steps that could lead to the West Villages area having its zip code affiliated with the city and not with Venice.First, the commission directed City Manager Peter Lear to provide an update to the U.S. Postal Service on the current and future development of the West Villages and to ask about the agency’s plans for additional zip code...
NORTH PORT — In hopes of having the question settled before the 2020 census, North Port city commissioners on Monday took the first of several steps that could lead to the West Villages area having its zip code affiliated with the city and not with Venice.
First, the commission directed City Manager Peter Lear to provide an update to the U.S. Postal Service on the current and future development of the West Villages and to ask about the agency’s plans for additional zip codes for the area.
Next, the commission agreed to host a town hall meeting in the West Villages on the relationship between the development district and the city; and finally, it directed city staff to increase outreach efforts to highlight for West Villages residents the services and activities North Port offers.
None of that received a warm welcome by West Villages residents in the crowd — most of whom live in either Island Walk or Gran Paradiso and who bought their homes partly because of the cache of a Venice zip code, regardless of where they pay property taxes.
Nor were they particularly pleased with City Commissioner Debbie McDowell who — after she explained that the property appraiser told her that comparable sales values and nearby amenities impacted home values, but zip codes do not — said they were duped by their seller, if they thought they were buying into Venice.
“It sounds like North Port has an inferiority complex,” said Ruth Thurber, a Gran Paradiso resident who previously lived in Port Charlotte and Lakewood Ranch. “My husband and I wanted to be in Venice. We know we’re paying taxes in North port and not Venice.
“Please don’t insult us and say we were duped; we’re intelligent people, we know where we bought,” she added. “We know what our property values are in Venice address as well as the North Port address.”
Michael Sepot followed by saying the property appraiser doesn’t have a clue about the real estate market.
“You’ll never find a bank who would use a city appraiser for any mortgage,” said Sepot, who later added, “perception is reality for the people who have that perception.”
West Villages is part of the 34293 zip code, which is dubbed Venice by the post office but contains only a small sliver of the city — west of Shamrock Drive to the Intracoastal Waterway.
It mostly consists of unincorporated south Sarasota County, including South Venice, Venice Gardens and Plantation — three subdivisions that are actually designated census tracts — and other developments such as Venice East, to the Myakka River.
The question last came up in 2010, when a U.S. Postal Service survey asked West Villages residents — then mostly the residents of the Island Walk development — whether they wanted a North Port postal code instead of Venice. The survey came back 266-6 against a change.
Word of the City Commission’s interest prompted homeowners in Gran Paradiso to start a change.org petition to “Keep the Venice FL mailing address for West Villages,” which had more than 690 signatures as of Monday afternoon.
A second petition asking that “West Villages Must be Officially Named North Port” grew out of Facebook responses to the Gran Paradiso petition but doesn’t actually mention the zip code issue. That had 190 signatures at the same time Monday.
Lear placed the issue on the agenda because more than one commissioner had talked to him about the zip code issue. Vice Mayor Linda Yates said her main purpose to ask the question was to prompt the town hall meetings.
“We need to work together as a community,” Yates said.
She worried that West Villages wouldn’t be counted as part of the city in the 2020 census, if the zip code issue wasn’t addressed.
While the city of North Port constitutes its own census tract, the needs of the population of the West Villages were not factored into the zip code-based data submitted by Universal Health Services to the state Agency of Health Care Administration for state approval for permission to build a hospital in North Port.
Since the West Villages district has less than 2,000 residents in a city of 67,000, that wouldn't necessarily affect the state’s decision.
Yates’ said her concern is for future impact on funding equations.
“The best thing we can do is address this before there’s more population there,” she added.
In other action
The North Port City Commission also:
• Unanimously elected Vanessa Carusone mayor and Linda Yates as vice mayor. Yates was also awarded a plaque in recognition of her service in the 2016-17 year as mayor.
• Approved the second reading of the city’s revised Human Rights Ordinance, with a change that defined sexual orientation as a person’s actual or perceived sexuality.
• Directed the city manager to prepare a resolution, in support of Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine, asking that the Miami Seaquarium free the endangered Orca Lolita.
