Sunset Beach Resort to break ground Monday at Times Square
Terry Persaud announced he will be breaking ground at his Times Square property on Monday for the Sunset Beach Tropical Resort, a planned entertainment center and hotel.
The development will replace the former Sunset Beach Tropical Grill and The Playmore Tiki Bar, which was destroyed by Hurricane Ian.
The ceremony will take place on Monday, July 6, at 3 p.m. at 1046 Estero Boulevard.
Monday’s ceremony will mark the start of construction on Sunset Beach Resort, a new three-story, 41,285-square-foot mixed-use beachfront development at Times Square on Fort Myers Beach.
However, according to town documents, it is not clear whether a building permit, or other permits needed by Persaud, have yet been issued. Town officials have not commented on whether the project has been approved for a building permit, or is still in need of permits.
The Town of Fort Myers Beach has previously acknowledged that Persaud received a Development Order, the first step he needs to get a building permit. Town officials did not confirm as of press time whether a building permit has been issued.
Benchmark General Contractors announced Monday that they will handle construction of the new resort.
The $13 million project will rise on the site of the former Sunset Beach Tropical Grill and The Playmore Tiki Bar, both of which were destroyed by Hurricane Ian nearly four years ago. Once complete, the new resort will include six hotel units.
Construction is expected to take approximately 18 months, with completion targeted for early 2028.
Persaud said the entertainment center will include restaurants, shopping, personal care, services bars, music, entertainment, stage, and a public pool.
Unlike his proposal for a hotel last year, which needed deviations from town code from the Town of Fort Myers Beach Council, the current project is being built to code. Therefore, Persaud does not need Town Council approval for this project.
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.”
Persaud’s planners and representatives have been in back-and-forth discussions for months with town planning staff on his proposals.
Fort Myers Beach Mayor Dan Allers referred questions regarding the project’s status, and whether a building permit had or hadn’t been issued yet, to town staff.
The Development Order Persaud 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 though, 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 roughly half-acre beachfront parcel sits on the southern edge of Time Square facing Estero Boulevard and Crescent Beach Family Park.
Persaud said he is planning a full rollout of his plans for the public to see in the coming weeks. He expects to hold a press conference when the renderings are finalized and approved. Last year, Persaud was been taken aback by the town’s rejections after the town had approved large deviations for other projects nearby at Moss Marina and for the Lighthouse Inn.
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.