Fort Myers Beach residents say they want to keep the vibe, small-town feel and limit building heights at resiliency meeting
Working with nature, protecting the environment, supporting dune plantings, protecting bicyclists, keeping the vibe, encouraging more shade trees, limiting building heights and supporting the “small town feel” were among the sticky notes posted to boats at the Town of Fort Myers Beach Town Hall during a resiliency meeting the town hosted with a consultant who is putting together a recovery and resilience implementation plan for the town.
AECOM, which has a $1 million contract to develop a recovery and resilience implementation plan for the Town of Fort Myers Beach, met with a small group of residents at the Town of Fort Myers Beach Town Hall last month in which town councilmembers attended.
The meeting was intended to get feedback from residents on what they would like the town to look like as it continues its recovery from Hurricane Ian.
AECOM, which entered into the $1 million contract with the town last December through a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) Program, led the meeting and is expected to submit a report to the town later this year. The report is also expected to cover plans Town of Fort Myers Beach Manager Will McKannay and Mayor Dan Allers have proposed regarding a Community Redevelopment Agency in the Times Square District.
Town of Fort Myers Beach Manager Will McKannay said the resiliency study is “a really important addition to our strategic planning, Comprehensive Plan revision and our R2P2 plan.”
McKannay said the resiliency meeting and study “is a way to put all of those ideas together in a prioritized light for all of the big ideas.”
McKannay said one way he envisions the Community Redevelopment Agency focusing on “a particular area or particular types of businesses on our island and capturing revenue and putting it back into infrastructure and landscaping.” McKannay said he believes the use of the agency for those uses could help attract more visitors to the island, and “make Fort Myers beach the destination it used to be again.”
The Community Redevelopment Agency, if approved by the Town of Fort Myers Beach Council and established, could potentially be a new source for capturing tax revenue from businesses in the area the agency covers. Those funds could potentially go into new lighting around Times Square or to fund the wave mitigation wall, McKannay said.
McKannay said he would like the district to stretch from Old San Carlos Boulevard to times Square, as a “bay to beach park.” The district could potentially include other areas of town, he said.
Attendees of a Fort Myers Beach resiliency meeting at Town Hall said the things they don’t want to see changed is the small-town feel of the island, limits on building heights, taking care of the natural environment, and the vibe. Photo by Nathan Mayberg
Fort Myers Beach Councilmember John McLean said the resiliency meeting went well. He is looking forward to the report. “I think it’s great,” he said. “It captures all of the work done previously, all of the ideas that were brought forward before.”
McLean expects that the consultants will return in several months to provide a list of the priorities the community has identified for the long term.
McLean said that could involve moving forward plans for a Community Redevelopment Agency in the Times Square district.
McLean previously expressed apprehension about the plans during a Town of Fort Myers Beach Council management and planning session earlier this year.
“I have questions,” McLean said. “It’s too early to say.” McLean said he was considering whether the development of a Community Redevelopment Agency “will benefit the island in total.”
He expects further discussions on the subject by the Town Council after the consultants return with a presentation and report with their findings on the priorities of town residents, and other information.
McLean said the consultants are “trying to provide some structure for all the projects that have been identified island-wide.”
Town of Fort Myers Beach Mayor Dan Allers (second from left) speaks during the resiliency meeting at Town Hall with Jeff Hauge (left to right), Fort Myers Beach Councilmember John King, Frank Kropacek and Town of Fort Myers Beach Manager Will McKannay. Photo by Nathan Mayberg
La Ola owner Tom Houghton was among those who attended the meeting. “For local businesses, it’s so important to keep moms and pops around and not let it go corporate,” Houghton said. “The town could lose its appeal.”
Houghton has been working on plans for rebuilding his restaurant at Times Square, which was damaged by Hurricane Ian. He has been operating out of trailers ever since. At one point, the property (which is owned by PRIMEAU) was facing code enforcement action from the town. Across from La Ola is the proposed Sunset Beach Resort, which has received a Development Order from the town, and is awaiting a building permit.
Houghton said he hopes that the infrastructure work the town may do at Times Square, which Town of Fort Myers Beach Manager Will McKannay and some councilmembers have advocated for to include a flood mitigation wall (also known as a wave wall), will coincide with the work done on his restaurant’s property. “What we are doing in Times Square needs to be done at the same time as what I am doing,” Houghton said.
Houghton supports a wave wall. “If I rebuild La Ola, we are going to put in a wave wall,” he said. Houghton said that engineering consultants he is working with, JR Evans Engineering, have already sent such plans to FEMA for review.
The Town of Fort Myers Beach is also working on a study for a wave wall with JR Evans Engineering. The town has seen plans that could potentially extend the wall up and down the beach. It is a plan that has many skeptics concerned about whether the wall will be beneficial or if it will actually lead to negative environmental impacts
Houghton expects to submit plans in late fall for rebuilding the restaurant. He said they will include a new kitchen and bar, with floo
According to a description from the town, The Recovery and Resilience Plan serves as a long-term roadmap that will help guide how Fort Myers Beach continues to recover from Hurricane Ian while preparing for future challenges. The plan will identify priorities related to infrastructure, mobility, environmental protection, economic vitality, community character, resilience, and quality of life. Through technical analysis, community engagement, and coordination with local and regional partners, the plan will establish a practical strategy for future investments and improvements throughout the Town.
According to the town, Community feedback gathered through this process will help identify priorities and opportunities that could guide future investment strategies for the island. Input gathered during the open house and future outreach opportunities will help identify community priorities and shape a shared vision for the island’s future. Feedback received from residents, businesses, and stakeholders will directly inform the recommendations and strategies included in the final plan.
The Town encourages all residents, business owners, employees, property owners, and interested stakeholders to participate in this important effort. Community input is essential to ensuring the Recovery and Resilience Plan reflects the values, priorities, and aspirations of Fort Myers Beach.
Fort Myers Beach resident Steve Johnson, who formerly chaired the town’s Marine and Environmental Resources Task Force, said he is glad the town is seeking input from the community but said the timing of the resiliency meeting could have been better. He would have preferred it in season, when more of the town’s residents are around.
“The program is solid. Requesting input from the community is essential,” Johnson said. “But the timing is inopportune to get a good cross-section of the community.”
Representatives for the AECOM consultants who attended the meeting, declined to be interviewed afterwards.
Joe Dwyer, a representative for AECOM, said “we are going to go through the town.” Joe Webb, a lead representative for AECOM, referred any questions to Town of Fort Myers Beach Public Information Officer Abigail Eberhart. AECOM is a multi-national company which is based in West Palm Beach.
McKannay said AECOM will analyze the community input gathered at the meeting and incorporate it into their developing recommendations. When they are ready to return to the Council for a formal presentation, that will be noticed publicly, to everyone, through all standard channels, at the same time.
For those who were unable to attend the open house meeting, the town is asking residents to fill out a survey link located at https://form.jotform.com/261404571826053