RE/MAX Network Supports Those Impacted by Hurricane Ian in Florida

Hurricane Ian made landfall in Florida on September 28. When the strong category 4 storm finally cleared, significant flooding and severely damaged properties were left behind. Among those facing the impacts of the storm are RE/MAX agents in Fort Meyers, many of whom lost homes. Fifteen RE/MAX offices in southern Florida sustained damage too.

“Witnessing the devastation is a very sobering experience,” says Florin Patrascoiu, Broker/Owner of RE/MAX Premier Group in Wesley Chapel and Tampa, Florida. “It will take years [for that area] to rebuild.”

While neither his office nor his agents experienced significant damage from the storm, Patrascoiu knew that those affected would need immediate assistance and supplies. With the help of his community and a borrowed moving truck, affiliates of RE/MAX Premier Group began collecting donations to deliver to the Fort Meyers area, approximately 100 miles south of Tampa.

“I didn’t know what to expect, but it was unbelievable,” Patrascoiu says. “We filled up our lobby. We opened the conference room and filled it up too. The moving truck was full of supplies.”

Following the collection of donated items, Patrascoiu and his colleagues were able to send a truck loaded with supplies to Fort Meyers within days of the hurricane’s landfall.

“What if it was us? People would have helped us too. Helping others is part of our culture” he says. “It was amazing to see how many people were coming in to help. That’s what the area needs.”

Patrascoiu’s spirit of giving back is shared by members of the RE/MAX network. Affiliates have extended their support, donations, and even their homes to one another during the difficult time.

“We are down here in Tampa Bay and would like to extend our services to any RE/MAX office in [southwest] Florida affected by Hurricane Ian,” Jason Demers, Managing Broker of RE/MAX Metro Tampa Bay in Florida, offered via Facebook. “We were spared from the worst here in Tampa and St. Pete, but our southern counties have been devastated.”

In an effort to support impacted communities and check in on local RE/MAX affiliates, leaders from RE/MAX, LLC flew to Florida to establish distribution centers of essential supplies – including food, water, and gas for generators – within unharmed RE/MAX offices.

“[RE/MAX, LLC] reacted very quickly and I’m appreciative of that,” Patrascoiu says.

Help is coming in from across the network, too, as RE/MAX affiliates are donating to a RE/MAX Relief Fund GoFundMe account. The account enables members of the global network to financially contribute to the short-term displacement needs as well as the long-term rebuilding needs of RE/MAX affiliates in times of tragedy.

“The RE/MAX network has a strong culture of helping others” says Jeff LaGrange, Vice President, Region Development for the RE/MAX Southeast Region. “The outpouring support for those impacted by Hurricane Ian has been tremendous, and the RE/MAX Relief Fund is one way that those near and far can help out.”

To learn more about the RE/MAX Relief Fund and donate, click here.

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