Atterholt pushes for quick CVS reopening
Company says store was destroyed
As the only pharmacy on Fort Myers Beach, Vice Mayor Jim Atterholt said it’s important to Beach residents that CVS reopen.
According to the company, the store was destroyed by Hurricane Ian and will need to be rebuilt.
Worried about a lack of action at the Estero Boulevard property, Attertholt said he has reached out to their Florida lobbyist and at a town council meeting Monday raised the idea of holding a press conference in front of the business to get the corporation’s attention.
“There is not a lot of activity there,” Atterholt said of the CVS building near Santini Plaza (which has been gutted and remains closed). The CVS building has been boarded up since shortly after Hurricane Ian hit Sept. 28.
Atterholt said he had “serious concern” about when the pharmacy will reopen. Atterholt said he had a Zoom call with Brooke Tiner, lead director of state government affairs for CVS Health on Tuesday. “I stressed how important the reopening of CVS is to our island. I made it clear to her that this is the only pharmacy on our island and that our residents desperately need it back open soon. I asked for a formal response in writing from CVS,” Atterholt said. Tiner wrote to Atterholt that CVS plans to rebuild on the island.
Matt Blanchette, senior manager of retail communications for CVS Pharmacy, said the company is planning to rebuild the store though there is no current timeline. He said the store was considered to be destroyed.
“Like much of the Fort Myers Beach community, we too felt the devastating impact of Hurricane Ian, including the destruction of our Estero Boulevard store,” Blanchette stated in an email.
“Despite the building’s loss, we’re committed to our customers and patients and are planning to rebuild. In the meantime, we’ll continue to serve the community at surrounding CVS Pharmacy locations and thank the community for its patience as we rebuild together.”
Editor Nathan Mayberg can be reached at NMayberg@breezenewspapers.com or 239-574-1110 ext. 114.