Kat Hughes

Whew. That was a close one. It’s a sentiment we’re familiar with here in Sarasota, because as many times as we have been targeted for direct hits or scathing blows from storms, we have really lucked out. But just as we are counting our blessings from Hurricane Ian, another sentiment hits: There are people all around us who were not as lucky.

As gusts of winds and gray skies lingered Thursday morning, Sarasota and Manatee residents began emerging from their places of shelter to assess the damage from Hurricane Ian the night before. In many cases, the verdict was a succinct one: Our area, once again, got lucky.

My fellow Americans, I am writing here to tell you something that perhaps people don’t want to admit. Something so outlandish and contrary to the current narrative in our country that it might seem like it couldn’t be true. Something that the politicians and perhaps some media don’t really want us to realize. That we, as Americans, have a lot more in common than we think.