TAMPA. Fla. — Mitch Pacyna kept his eye on the weather, even before the wind picked up, the first drops of rain fell or the floodwater rose along his street.
He’d felt safe on Fort Myers Beach, a place where he knew the bartenders, worked as a greeter at the library and watched orange sunsets with his longtime partner.
So safe, he decided to stay even as Hurricane Ian bore down. He and Mary Wojciechowski were comforted by 27 years of weathering Florida storms together and a duplex with a second story. They tied a generator to their balcony, stocked up on propane for the grill and told family and friends they were ready.
