HURRICANE IAN A CALL TO SERVICE

I was just nine years old when I learned that I wanted to be a lawyer. It was the show Matlock, starring Andy Griffith. Andy Griffith was a lawyer who helped good people seek justice and he did so by providing a legal service. I wanted to be that person who helped. Often times, we get caught up in the adversary nature of what we do. But we forget that, at end of the day, we provide a service to people. We must be ready to serve when called upon.

On September 28, 2022, Hurricane Ian struck Lee County. It brought massive wind devastation and Biblical flooding. The storm brought devastation to homes, businesses, and to our friends and neighbors in our area. Although my family and I had our own devastation to deal with, we wanted to help others. It was that call to service that drove us to help.

Sadly, my office learned that an 84-year-old lady had died on Fort Myers Beach. She was found about a block from her home. The family was able to identify her Last Will & Testament in her home. The Will was wet, dirty from the mud, and the once-ironed pages were crinkly. We agreed to assist the family with probating the estate. My assistant prepared the Will and death certificate for filing with the court. Before my assistant hand-delivered the Will, she asked me to smell the Will. With hesitation, I smelled the Will. The Will smelled like saltwater. Although the smell was heartbreaking, we were called to service.

Shortly after the storm, my office and I began reaching out to clients. Many were in shock, lost and didn’t know where to begin with cleanup. In response, my office made a list of providers to assist our clients with the devastation. We made a contact list of roofers, contractors, pool contractors, lawn maintenance personnel, window vendors, door vendors, screen vendors and professional insurance adjusters, for our clients. The list created some kind of organization for our clients during a time of devastation. Again, it was a call to service.

Many of our section members donated their time making food for those who lost everything. Some of our members assisted their neighbors and friends with clean-up. Some even opened their homes to those who lost their home to flood damage. The damage was devastating, but our call to service is what we do. These are just a few of the many acts of service that our section members provided during the devastation from Hurricane Ian.

Our RPPTL practice section meets on the second Friday of every month. Meetings take place via ZOOM. Discussion presenters speak on topics of Wills, Trusts, Estates and Real Property. We would enjoy having you and meeting you. If you are interested, please do not hesitate in contacting me at: kenneth@apatronelaw.com.

Providing a service to people is a satisfying and humbling experience, and it’s a call that our members are willing to take. We hope to see you soon at one of our meetings.

Casey Gartland, Esq. is a civil litigation attorney with the Pendas Law Firm’s Fort Myers office where he represents clients who have been injured or killed as the result of negligence, greed or carelessness. He specializes in car and truck crashes, premises liability, insurance bad faith, property damage claims, product defect and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) cases.

Casey Gartland, Esq.