Starlink Operational in Parts of Southwest Florida Post-Ian: ‘Big Deal When it Comes to Saving Lives’

FORT MYERS (FLV) – As Florida communities continue along the road to recovery post-Hurricane Ian, many Floridians are getting back online just days after the storm made landfall last week.

Over the weekend, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced he worked with Elon Musk’s SpaceX to deliver over 100 large Starlink units to provide fast broadband connection to impacted areas. Many communities lost cell service and internet.

“Thanks to your innovative technology, Floridians will be able to better connect with their loved ones,” DeSantis said Oct. 1. “So he’s been repositioning those to be over this part of Florida… We’re happy to be able to bring that here and hopefully that will assist with some of that connectivity issues. I know people are working really hard to get all the services back online.”

Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis announced Tuesday that the Starlink service is now operational.

“STARLINK IS OPERATIONAL! Just got this from Urban Search & Rescue Team (Task Force 7-Tallahasse) in Fort Myers. They told me ‘Starlink is a game-changer!'” he said. “Thank you @GovRonDeSantis and @elonmusk. This connectivity is a BIG DEAL when it comes to saving lives.”

Starlink is satellite internet operated by SpaceX and it provides coverage to 40 countries.