REBUILD DELAYS: Fort Myers Beach contractors struggle after FEMA order

Reconstruction efforts on Fort Myers Beach have hit a new roadblock because a recent FEMA mandate requires the removal of hundreds of temporary structures, leaving contractors and local businesses to find solutions.

WATCH THE FULL COVERAGE BY FORT MYERS BEACH COMMUNITY CORRESPONDENT ANVAR RUZIEV:

With less than two months to comply, the mandate is causing significant concern for people who are working to rebuild the beach community after Hurricane Ian.

Contractors have been using storage containers along Estero Boulevard to house tools and materials essential to their rebuilding efforts. However, a federal law now mandates that these containers, especially those near the beach, must be removed. This sudden change is expected to slow down the progress of reconstruction.

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“We reached out to FEMA again this morning for clarification. They made it clear that everything on the gulf side needs to be removed, including containers two lots north of Estero,” said Frankie Kropacek, the Operations & Compliance Director for the town of Fort Myers Beach.

The timing of the mandate couldn't be worse for contractors like Travis Albert, Florida Branch Manager for Price Electric, who oversees part of the Estero Beach Club rebuild. He expressed concern about how this will impact their work as they try to complete projects ahead of the busy season.

“It’s going to slow it down tremendously,” said Albert. “We’ll have to figure out how to store materials on the island, especially with the season coming in and more traffic.”

The town is working with contractors to identify possible storage alternatives, including utilizing empty floors in buildings under construction. Kropacek suggested that supplies could be moved into the lower levels of unfinished buildings to clear the containers from the area.

“As you build up, some of these buildings are empty,” said Kropacek. “So you could maybe take these supplies and put them on the first floor to get those containers out of here.”

However, Albert said that many contractors are working on finishing those first-floor units to make them habitable.

“We’re trying to finish these units so people can move into them,” he explained. “So that’s really not an option. I don’t know what we’re going to do,” Albert said.

According to town estimates, more than two-thirds of the condos on Fort Myers Beach remain unfinished, and contractors initially believed they had until July 2025, to remove temporary structures. Now, with FEMA’s new deadline set for November 18, the pressure is mounting. A FEMA representative explained that the two-year timeframe for temporary structures is standard and aims to prioritize the safety of surrounding neighbors in the event of another storm.

It’s not just condos being affected by the changes. La Ola, a popular Times Square restaurant operating out of a temporary structure in a flood zone, will also need to vacate its current location.

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The town believes the decision is final and intends to enforce the mandate fully.