Is Fort Myers Beach Rebuilt? An Honest 2026 Update From the Island

First, yes, I was here.

The question I get asked more than any other is whether I was actually on the island when Ian hit. People want to know the wind, the surge, and whether they are getting a straight answer from someone who lived it or a sales pitch from someone who read about it.

So: I own Sun-N-Fun Sport Rentals at 1821 Estero Blvd. I was here before Ian, I have been here every year since, and I am here now. The building I leased before the storm was completely destroyed.

Here is my honest read on where Fort Myers Beach stands four years later.

The question itself is wrong, and here is why

We get a lot of visitors from the Northeast, and some of them lived through Hurricane Sandy in 2012. When they talk about their own towns, they describe a recovery that took ten to twelve years.

That reframes everything.Four years into a recovery of this size is not late. It is early-middle. The people asking whether we are rebuilt yet are measuring against an expectation that was never realistic, and I think that is the single biggest thing people outside Fort Myers Beach misunderstand about what has happened here.

Ian came ashore on September 28, 2022 as a Category 4. Storm surge on this island ran somewhere between 18 and 20 feet. Lee County lost more than 130 people. It is the costliest hurricane in Florida history.

Then in 2024 we got Helene and Milton. That part gets left out of most write-ups, and it matters. Businesses that had already rebuilt after Ian got hit again.

So no, we are not finished. We are four years into something that takes a decade.

What I can tell you is that it is working.

What would surprise you

If you have not been here since before the storm, the thing that surprises most people is that the beach itself is still beautiful and unchanged.

That is the part I wish more people understood before they decide not to come. Beach renourishment and dune stabilization are largely complete and the berm was widened, which gives you more sand to sit on and gives the island better protection next time. Seven miles of sugar sand. Same water. Same sunsets. Nothing about the Gulf changed.

You will also see vacant lots. Plenty of them. That is not surprising if you understand the magnitude of what came through here.

And then you get to Margaritaville and the surrounding area, and it is very active. That stretch is busy, and it is the clearest visual answer to whether this island is coming back.

My own business, since people ask

We reopened in October 2023, a little more than a year after Ian.

The building we leased was gone, so we had to find a temporary location and start over in a lot of ways. The first couple of years were difficult as we worked to rebuild while doing less business than we had before the storm. It has been a challenging road, and I’m not going to describe it as anything else.

Today our business is very close to what it was pre-Ian.

That is my biggest sign that this island is coming back. Not a press release, not a ribbon cutting. Visitors are returning in numbers I can see in my own books.

What kept me going was watching the recovery actually progress, and the loyal customers who keep coming back to Fort Myers Beach because they love this place.

The part I am proudest of

The business community here has overcome obstacles that most people never see. Financing. Government. Finding labor. Finding materials. Every one of those has been a wall at some point, and businesses got over them anyway.

The brightest spot has been how people have supported each other.

There is an organization called What’s Up FMB, made up of local business owners, that has been creating events and activities to bring tourism back and keep locals engaged. Dawn Miller created it and leads it, and she deserves real credit for what it has done for this island. Events like Mullet Madness, the Island Charm Crawl, and the Illuminations Parade exist because that group decided the island needed reasons for people to show up.

If you want a single example of what this community has pulled off, go to The Whale.

Dawn and Mike Miller own it. Mike had bought the place just months before Ian, and the storm tore a century-old wood-framed building, one of the oldest commercial buildings on this island, into pieces. Instead of walking away, they rebuilt it from the ground up. It reopened in November 2025 as a three-story restaurant at 1249 Estero Blvd with a rooftop bar and the same smoked wings people have been coming for as long as I can remember.

Three years from destroyed to reopened, on a building that had to be replaced entirely rather than repaired. That is what a real rebuild looks like on this island, and it is why I do not have much patience for the idea that nothing is happening here.

This island is strong because of its residents, its business owners, and its visitors. That is what FMB Strong actually means to me. It is not a slogan on a sticker. It is those three groups refusing to let the place go.

What to Know Before Your Visit

I would rather you hear this from me than find out when you get here.

The pier is gone. Ian destroyed it in 2022 and the site has been empty since. Lee County is rebuilding it bigger than the original, about 1,000 feet long and 12 feet wide, roughly $17.1 million, funded in part by FEMA and the Lee County Tourist Development Council. Construction is expected to start in late 2026 with completion targeted for August 2027. Those are county estimates and they have moved before, so treat them as a plan rather than a promise. If the pier is the reason you are coming, just know that it won’t be back yet.

Lodging is still below where it was. We’re seeing more hotels and vacation rentals come back, but we still don’t have as many options as we did before the storm. That means some places can book up quickly, especially during busy times, and rates may be a little higher than you remember. My advice is to book ahead if you know when you’re coming.

There are vacant lots. There are vacant lots and properties that haven’t come back, and some businesses won’t return. That’s part of what you’ll see when you visit. But you’ll also see businesses reopening, new places coming in, and a community that continues to rebuild. We’re not all the way there yet, but we’re moving in the right direction.

Getting around, and the parking problem

Parking on Estero Boulevard was tight before the storm and it is tighter now, because some of what used to be parking is staging and construction. This is the single most common frustration visitors have here, and it has nothing to do with whether the island is rebuilt.

There are two good answers, and only one of them involves me.

Rent something small. A golf cart solves the parking problem outright, and scooters, Vespas, e-bikes, and beach cruisers all work depending on your group. Our minimum is two hours, so you can rent for an afternoon instead of a full day.

Or do not drive at all. Trippin Rides runs tiki-themed golf cart taxis up and down the island, hop on and hop off, a few dollars a trip. They also do a park-and-ride from the mainland side of the bridge and run airport shuttles to Fort Myers, Punta Gorda, Naples, and Cape Coral.

So should you come?

Absolutely.

We hand our customers a sheet with 39 places to eat and drink on this island, and another page with 27 shops and essentials. That is not a recovering-town brochure. That is a real vacation.

When someone spends money at a restaurant, a rental company, or a shop here, it means everything. I will be blunt about it. We need customers. Every dollar spent on this island helps a local business keep its doors open and continue rebuilding.

And if you’re coming to Fort Myers Beach, come see us at Sun-N-Fun Rentals. Whether you want to rent a bike, scooter, kayak, or something else to get out and explore the island, we’d be happy to help you enjoy your time here. You don’t have to make a big deal out of supporting us, just come, have a good time, and rent local when you can.

Come now if you want warm water, thinner crowds, easier parking, and better rates than winter, and you don’t mind seeing some construction. Wait until 2027 if you want the pier and a more finished island. Both are reasonable. Just don’t skip Fort Myers Beach because you read somewhere that it is closed.

It is not closed. It is open, it is working, and it is worth your time.