Persaud says goodbye to Fresh Catch Bistro and Junkanoo, looks forward to Times Square hotel
While Junkanoo and Fresh Catch Bistro couldn’t be saved after Hurricane Ian, owner Terry Persaud is shifting his eyes to his plans for a hotel on land he owns at Times Square where the Sunset Beach Tropical Grill formerly stood. Persaud is scheduled to present his plans for a boutique hotel to the Fort Myers Beach Local Planning Agency (LPA) at their April 29 meeting.
Last week, Persaud demolished the Fresh Catch Bistro building at 3400 Estero Boulevard, at the site where the Junkanoo and formerly the historic Pelican Hotel once stood. The Junkanoo and Fresh Catch Bistro buildings were both destroyed by Hurricane Ian. Only a portion of Fresh Catch Bistro building was still standing until last week.
“It’s a great loss to the town,” Persaud said.
The land for both, totaling 3.49 acres, was sold to Persaud Properties FL Investments in October of 2014 for $8 million. The land had previously been the subject of plans for residential development by Persaud. Now he is looking to sell the lot.
Persaud said he had been close a couple times to selling the land after Hurricane Ian and has been in touch with a couple of developers regarding the parcel. “It has a range of possibilities,” Persaud said.
Persaud said the property is zoned for both commercial and residential. He had previously floated plans to build multi-million dollar homes on the property and had built two homes next to Junkanoo.
According to the Estero Island Historic Society, the Junkanoo building dated back to 1933. That would have made it one of the oldest commercial buildings standing on Fort Myers Beach at the time of Hurricane Ian.
After Hurricane Ian, Fresh Catch Bistro and Junkanoo operator Franco Russo relocated the businesses to Snook Bright Marina. Persaud said the cost to rebuild at the site wouldn’t have made it worth it for him to continue operating there considering the investment he already had in purchasing the land. “We hope that whoever will be able to build in there will consider building back a restaurant,” he said.
Times Square hotel
At Times Square, Persaud wants to build a “boutique hotel” with about 50 rooms where the Sunset Beach
Tropical Grill once stood before Hurricane Ian knocked it down. According to renderings submitted to the town, the hotel will have a maximum height of 69 feet, eight inches above grade. Based on flood elevation purposes, the height is considered to be 52 feet above the flood elevation. The town code allows for 30 feet above flood elevation, so Persaud is seeking an additional 22 feet based on those calculations.
There would be a restaurant and bar on the bottom floor that would be similar to the Sunset Beach Tropical Grill. Persaud said he believes the new hurricane codes justify a taller building at the site.
Persaud envisions having some smaller retail vendors in front of the building. “We have that unique niche of small vendors to create that beach vibe,” Persaud said.
The Sunset Beach Tropical Grill, like every other beachfront property at Times Square, was leveled to the ground by Hurricane Ian.
“It was a huge loss,” Persaud said. “We lost everything there.” Persaud said he was denied his claim on his wind insurance policy and said the building had no flood insurance. He paid $3.15 million for the lot back in 2014.
“We spent quite a bit to rehab it,” Persaud said. “It was one of the nicest spots in Times Square to go to.” Persaud was in a long, protracted legal battle with the town over code violations the property was cited for. He earned a victory in court after challenging the amount of fines a former town magistrate had charged him as exhorbitant.
“We were starting to hit our stride and then Ian took us out,” he said. Persaud said he is looking to “find something that works” and to make a return on his investment.
“We’re committed to the town. We are committed to rebuilding,” he said. “We hope to be one of the first on Times Square to get rebuilt.” He believes he can complete construction on the hotel within 12-14 months once he gains approvals from the LPA and town council.
It wasn’t that long ago after Hurricane Ian that owners of property at Times Square were working together on new designs to redevelop Times Square and help replace the structures and businesses that were lost. While the businessowners were working on their plans, they were surprised to learn last year that the town had also been separately working on such plans. Then two of the owners of properties at Times Square died, which threw off the momentum of the project. “It got a little sticky,” Persaud said.
Persaud said that property owners at Times Square are now working individually on rebuilding plans but also together to help each other out on understanding codes and other issues with rebuilding after the town’s top tourist draw was decimated by Hurricane Ian. There has been little public discussion since last year regarding plans the town had been working on for Times Square.
Persuad also owns the property that was occupied by the PierSide Grill and Famous Blowfish Bar, The Pier Peddler and Dairy Queen right next to where the Fort Myers Beach Pier has laid in ruins for two and a half years. He bought the prime beachfront land for $6.4 million last year.
The pier, owned by Lee County, is not expected to be rebuilt until 2027 and restrooms nearby at Lynn Hall Memorial Park are not expected to be rebuilt until 2028. That hasn’t helped speed up Persaud’s timeline for rebuilding there.
There is one parcel between the PierSide Grill and Famous Blowfish Bar property and the former Sunset Beach Tropical Grill property, which Persaud does not own.
Persaud believes the recent approval of the plans for Arches Bayfront at Moss Marina by the LPA will help boost the likelihood his development will also be approved. The Arches Bayfront project is much larger and about as big in some respects as Margaritaville.
The hotel will need additional deviations from the land development code for parking and for added density.
“It’s up to the town to see what appetite they have for redeveloping the town and getting small businesses back on our feet,” Persaud said. “The need exists for (the hotel) at Times Square.”
Fort Myers Beach Mayor Dan Allers did not respond to a message seeking comment on the plans.