significant hit to your bottom line. what florida's trying to do is get that infrastructure back together. businesses are now just unlocking their doors. they're assessing some of the damage. we talked to some business owners in fot. lauderdale who sy this will cost them millions of dollars in the ft. lauderdale area and there may be a long-term billion dollar impact in florida across the board, chris. >> nbc's jolene kent on watson island in miami, thank you. now our correspondent who's been getting a broad look at the impact across florida. from tampa to miami on i 95 south. he had a chance to visit one of the hardest hit areas in southwest florida on the edge of the everglades. >> reporter: a long eerie and water logged drive home for some of those hit hardest by hurricane irma. this is everglade city, florida. normally 500 people live here. most of them evacuated ahead of irma. this is what they're coming back to. it's total devastation.