Two years after Hurricane Ian, there are talks to build a memorial to honor the lives lost. The people spearheading the project are 16-year-old twins Paul and Violet Schwartz.
The Schwartz twins say they were inspired by the devastation around them and a recent trip to the 9/11 memorial in New York City.
Paul described how he felt at the memorial.
"I was shocked. I was surprised. I was confused. I didn't know that many people could die at once," he said.
So, Paul and Violet went to work. They wrote a petition and gathered more than 300 signatures.
"And we got to hear so many people's stories and how they were impacted, how their family members were impacted, and how the whole community was impacted. It was very emotional," Violet said.
That support got the city of Fort Myers' attention. The city paired the twins with paralegal Wendy White to get the process started. However, Wendy isn't just any lawyer.
"I'm also an artist, playwright, filmmaker, and musician. I do lots of things," Wendy said.
Wendy was also on the design committee for the very memorial that inspired the twins.
"I was so touched by that. The impact of 9/11 goes on for eternity. And the fact that these children were born after 9/11 and they were impacted is so extraordinary," Wendy said.
The Hurricane Ian memorial is still in the very early stages of development. Wendy provided preliminary sketches of the memorial, which features a purple wave on the maintenance building in Centennial Park in downtown Fort Myers. However, a final design and location have not been approved yet. Wendy says no matter what leaders choose, she's grateful to be a part of the journey.
"I think it's the best thing ever. Picasso said the best art is the art of the children. It's the purest and most real. When it comes from children, I feel like it's the voice of truth and honesty. We should honor them and encourage them to develop their voices and ideas," Wendy said.
"I feel like it shouldn't be something that you should do just because someone else hasn't. We should do it because I think it's the right thing to do from the bottom of our hearts,” Paul said.