In the wake of the worst storm to ever hit Punta Gorda, one group formed that would forever change how the small city was rebuilt. Twenty years later, Team Punta Gorda is reflecting on the work they did after Hurricane Charley.
"It kind of put Humpty Dumpty back together again," said Nancy Prafke, former city councilwoman and the second CEO of the organization.
In the days following Hurricane Charley, there were a lot of unknowns. When would the power come back on? Where were people going to live? How would southwest Florida ever recover?
Within weeks, the Charlotte Community Foundation raised over a quarter million dollars and had volunteers ready to work.
"The volunteers looked around, and they said, the city has got public safety well in hand. But what is the vision of the future? What's going to happen next?" Nancy Johnson remembers. She's the current CEO of the team.
The goal of the volunteer-driven organization was to facilitate development and shape growth in the community. They had brainstorming sessions and even helped hire a notable urban planner. Ultimately, they formed a master plan.
"The Citizen's Master Plan was a roadmap for the city to move forward with recovery. That included the citizens' vision, not just the government's vision," Johnson said. "The basis for the work that the city did in the future to rebuild."
Inside that plan was the vision for now well-known landmarks like Laishley Park Marina, the Herald Court Centre, and the overall feel of downtown.
"Probably over 90% of the people's, wishes and the citizen's master plan had been completed," Tom Cavanaugh, a director on the team, said.
The rebuilding happened much quicker than anyone ever imagined.
"FEMA was so surprised because, at five years, you could hardly tell that anything had happened here," Prafke recalled. "And they said that that's so uncharacteristic of a community. Usually, they said it would have been maybe 20 years if then that that you would have reached that point."
Now, as we actually reach the 20-year mark, Team Punta Gorda is still strong and finding ways to strengthen their home.
"One of the things that happened with Ian, and people I've heard from, people that live elsewhere in the United States, said that Punta Gorda was showcased on TV as showing what can happen when a community is hardened," Prafke explained. "Ian was pretty powerful. But we made it very well. We still had damage but made it very well because of what we went through with Charley."
With all the questions asked after Charley answered, what's next for Team Punta Gorda?
"With 600 volunteers popping up a year, we have a lot of manpower. So, we try to stay responsive to what's going on in the city and what organizations are doing," Johnson stated.
"This is a journey to which there is no end. It will always have something to do or will always. If we're doing our job, we're always going to be listening. We're always going to be wanting to think what's the next step," Prafke added. "What does this community now need? It's, you know, 20 years later, the needs are different, but one thing that's always been on everyone's mind is preserving the historic character of the community. "