Fort Myers Beach approves Development Order for hotel units, restaurant for proposed entertainment center at Times Square
Last year, Terry Persaud met with local residents and business owners at Times Square in front of drawings and plans for a new 31-room, hotel that would be the center of the redevelopment of Times Square.
Persaud ended up pulling back the plans for the Fort Myers Beach tourist center after getting negative feedback at a hearing in front of the Town of Fort Myers Beach Council. The Local Planning Agency had previously voted against the project.
Now he is back with new plans that don’t need a review by the Town Council or the LPA because they have so far matched up with town code and don’t require the height deviation and other variances that the original plans needed.
Town staff has granted him a Development Order, the first step he needs to get a building permit to construct what he calls an “entertainment center” with six hotel room units, a restaurant, shopping, personal care, services bars, music, entertainment, stage, and a public pool.
The new proposal is all under code, Persaud said.
Persaud said he hasn’t finalized whether the hotel units he was approved for will be hotel units or condo units, or a mixture of both. He said there could still be changes. He is looking at how many units he can build based on the level of intensity allowed under the town’s new Comprehensive Plan.
The Development Order approved by the town grants him six hotel units for a three-story mixed-use building totaling 41,285 square feet with a rooftop bar, pool and office space at 1028 and 1046 Estero Boulevard.
“It’s going to be guest rooms, it’s going to be offices, basically a beach resort. It’s going to have a pool bar,” Persaud said. “We’re still working through it.”
Unlike last year’s public process, Persaud says the new project will meet all town codes that are allowed for him to build by right in the Times Square zoning district, so that he doesn’t need to go in front of the LPA or Town Council for any approvals to gain any deviations.
That is because unlike last year when Persaud was seeking a height deviation for a 60-foot high, 31-room hotel, he is no longer seeking relief from town code for intensity, or for relief from parking requirements or any deviations.
As such, the process for approvals will go through town staff and planning consultant channels, rather than the open forum process required for requests for deviations, which would have required a public hearing.
His planners and representatives have been in back-and-forth discussions for months with town planning staff on his proposals.
The Development Order he received includes conditions for a lighting plan and a stormwater permit approval for stormwater management, which Persaud said is still being worked through.
Persaud said the renderings the town has are preliminary drawings and will be updated though the main outline and measurements will be the same.
“It’s just to show them what the building will look like height-wise and from the back. It’s not what the building is actually going to look like,” Persaud said.
The height won’t change, he said.
The building will be no higher than the maximum allowed, which is 30 feet above flood elevation. The project will be centered near where Persaud’s former Sunset Beach Tropical Grill and The Playmore Tiki Bar stood and where he currently operates a parking lot at the edge of Times Square. The Sunset Beach Tropical Grill and The Playmore Tiki Bar was destroyed by Hurricane Ian.
The roughly half-acre beachfront parcel sits on the southern edge of Time Square facing Estero Boulevard and Crescent Beach Family Park.
Terry Persaud. File photo
Persaud said he is planning a full rollout of his plans for the public to see in the coming weeks and he expects to hold a press conference for when the renderings are finalized and approved.
Persaud said that once he receives permits from the town for his plans he will have all the approvals he needs. Everything he builds will be what he said is able to by right.
The town’s Development Order says that landscaping and buffering details may still need to be worked on, and states that “applicants may be required to obtain an Environmental Resource Permit (ERP, Rule 62-330, F.A.C.) from the Southwest Florida Water management District or Department of Environmental Protection South District Office and/or a DEP Construction Generic Permit (CGP, Rule 62-621.300(4), F.A.C.) and must submit a copy of the applicable stormwater permit approval(s) to the Community Development Department prior to development.
Fort Myers Beach Community Development Director Frankie Kropacek said that while the Development Order has been issued for the project, “no permits have been issued as of yet” for the project to be built.
Town of Fort Myers Beach Manager Will McKannay and town spokesperson Abigail Eberhart did not address questions regarding what other permits may be needed, what further reviews are required, or what stormwater issues may be involved as mentioned in the Development Order.
Persaud also owns another property at Times Square, on the northernmost end where The Dairy Queen, The Pier Peddler and PierSide Grill and Famous Blowfish Bar formerly sat before being wiped out by Hurricane Ian. Persaud, through Persaud Properties, acquired that land for $6.4 million in 2024. He has since used that property for food and refreshment stands.
Fort Myers Beach Councilmember John McLean said he is encouraged by Persaud’s new project.
“I’m happy to see Terry moving forward with his plans for Times Square. It’s heartening that we are beginning to see real brick and mortar development occur in the downtown district,” McLean said.
Fort Myers Beach Vice Mayor Scott Safford, who was broadly supportive of Persaud’s plans last time around, said he was withholding comment until seeing the new, finalized details.
“I haven’t seen the final design, so I’m holding off comment,” Safford said.
Fort Myers Beach Mayor Dan Allers said “I have not been briefed on the specifics of the project, just that he is moving through the process with staff.”
Fort Myers Beach Observer Editor Nathan Mayberg can be reached at NMayberg@breezenewspapers.com