It had been 15 months since Hurricane Ian came ashore just north of Fort Myers Beach in September 2023.  The storm caused a wide swath of destruction.  Our home was one of the thousands that got destroyed by the storm.

Shortly after the hurricane hit, we made a couple of quick trips to the area (last Oct and Nov) to salvage what we could.  We got a small insurance settlement for wind damage, signed the paperwork to have the house demolished, and said good-bye.

While spending time in Venice FL in January 2024, we decided to take a day trip to the area to see how things were recovering.

What We Saw

While there’s been much clean up of the debris, the area remains scarred.  There’s still visible tree damage, many signs are still down, and there’s numerous vacant lots of where businesses and houses used to be.  Neighborhoods show some fully restored properties, but there’s still many damaged houses.  Some houses show no repair work and are just sitting vacant.  I can only guess that there are many who had no insurance or lack funds to pay for a demolition or a rebuild.  Contractor vehicles are everywhere.  For sale signs are also prevalent.

Most of the large high rise condo buildings on Estero Island are vacant.  We saw only two resorts open – The new Margaritaville Resort and The Pink Shell.  There are few tourists compared to this time prior to the hurricane.  The beach looks great but is largely vacant.  All the convenience stores (7-11’s) and all the liquor stores are gone.  Some popular places like Pete’s Time Out, Shuckers, The Cottage, Hooters, Mr. Tequilas, The Tiki Hut BBQ, and the Shamrock are all gone.  The Town Offices have been torn down.  Along the beach, where there were once beachfront houses, are numerous empty lots.  Newer beach front houses that were built on 12 ft concrete piers seem undamaged.

All six churches on the island suffered significant damage.  Beach Baptist has been torn down and Chapel By The Sea is in the process of being demolished.  The Beach UMC is closed and the church operation has been terminated.  St. Peter Lutheran church is holding Sunday services outside under a tent but the future of the building is uncertain.  No repair work has been initiated.  St. Raphael Episcopal church is holding services outside and is the only church on the island currently trying to rebuild.  The Catholic Church of the Ascension is closed and fenced off.  There are plans to rebuild but it will be a multi year effort.  The Poor Clare nuns at the San Damiano Monastery have relocated to Naples (I’ve stayed in touch with them).

I was encouraged to see some businesses trying to come back.  Doc Fords, The Dixie Fish, and Bonita Bills are open.  The Whale Bar and Restaurant, which was totally destroyed, is open and operating under a tent.  Mom’s and Yo-Taco are operating out of food trucks.  Some of the restaurants along Old San Carlos are open.  In Times Square, La Ola is open under a tent and a new clock tower has been erected.  Bowditch Park at the north end of the island recently opened.

Here’s a video I took of our drive down Estero Boulevard.

Our house was torn down last April.  The park were we lived is still without power and utilities.  Most of the houses there (over 1,400) are in the process of being torn down.  We tried to enter the park but only current owners are being allowed in to work on their houses.  No one is allowed to move back yet.

What We Felt

We met with some friends for lunch during our visit.  They’re snowbirds from Kansas who are staying at San Carlos RV Park, which is back fully operating.  We had lunch with them at the Dixie Fish which was and still is a favorite spot.  That was the high point of our visit.

Seeing all the destruction was saddening and depressing.  We knew Fort Myers Beach and the surrounding area as a lovely tropical and vibrant paradise.  It was beautiful.  I can see that Mother Nature has bounced back.  The beach is white sand again, the water is blue-green, the birds are back, and the palm trees are sprouting new green frons.  The beach community is still standing and working to come back.  And I’m sure that it will come back but it will take several more years.  Meanwhile, it’s still severely wounded and wrecked.

My thoughts are with all the displaced people who suffered terrible losses.  The 148 who lost their lives, 64 of whom died from drowning in the storm surge.  The people who lost a business, the workers who lost their jobs, the people who lost all their possessions.  The retirees who lost their retirement dream home.  Many of them can’t afford to rebuild and will never return.

But, I’m confident that the white sand beach, the palm trees, sunsets, and warm gulf waters will draw people back to Fort Myers Beach.  Perhaps less will come to reside and more will be there for a short vacation or a transient stay.

We were blessed with over 10 yrs of wintering in Fort Myers Beach and carry with us many happy memories of the area.