Ft Myers Beach - Good Neighbor

FMB Chamber Secrets: Unveiling the Future of Fort Myers Beach

• "Cabo" Jim Schaller • Season 5 • Episode 3

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The vibrant renewal of Fort Myers Beach takes center stage as Jacki from the Fort Myers Beach Chamber of Commerce joins host Cabo Jim to share the island's remarkable renaissance story. Their conversation paints a picture of a community rebuilding with purpose—where each new structure contributes to a colorful, resilient future while honoring the island's storied past.

Jacki reveals exciting developments transforming the seven-mile paradise: Neptune Resort's complete rebuild, Moss Marina becoming the ambitious Arches Bayfront, and the Whale Bar & Restaurant nearing completion with roof and windows now installed. These commercial projects coincide with an explosion of residential construction where vibrant beach cottages—now elevated on stilts—dot every street with tropical hues of pink, blue, teal, and yellow. The rebuilding showcases innovative approaches to flood mitigation, with businesses like the recently opened Beach Bar designing spaces where water can safely flow through during storms.

Despite being in the quieter summer season, Fort Myers Beach buzzes with activity. The Gulf waters shine with exceptional clarity—a testament to environmental initiatives like the newly opened C-43 reservoir reducing Lake Okeechobee runoff. The Chamber's Water Foundation has funded a sophisticated monitoring station at Mound House that tests water quality every ten minutes, with data available worldwide. Visitors can enjoy water sports, fishing charters, parasailing, and uncrowded beaches with special summer rates at hotels and restaurants.

Looking ahead, the island calendar brims with exciting events: Mullet Madness Weekend featuring food and fashion contests, the Island Hopper Singer-Songwriter Festival in late September, American Sand Sculpting Championship in November, and the beloved Christmas Boat Parade in early December. Every Sunday evening, free concerts at Bayside Veterans Park bring the community together in celebration of island life.

Ready to experience Fort Myers Beach's revival firsthand? Whether you're planning a weekend getaway or considering making this slice of paradise your home, there's never been a more exciting time to discover what makes this resilient community so special.

FMB Chamber
Jacki Lisak

 100 Lover's Lane Fort Myers Beach 33931, FL
 (239) 454-7500
info@fmbchamber.com
fortmyersbeach.org

#visitfmb

#fmbchamber

#fortmyersbeach

#SunshineState

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Speaker 1:

Welcome to the Fort Myers Beach Good Neighbor podcast, where the sun's always shining and the stories are even brighter. Each episode we bring you closer to the neighbors, local legends and beachside businesses that make Fort Myers Beach the slice of paradise we all love. Pull up a beach chair, grab a drink and let's meet the people who make this island feel like home. We want to send out some island love to Eric Tibbs from Edward Jones State Insurance, usa and Home Well Care Services Fort Myers. Love to Eric Tibbs from Edward Jones State Insurance, usa and Home Well Care Services Fort Myers. They are the businesses that allow us to share the soul of our community with every listener, from local stories to the positive vibe of island life. Here's to celebrating all that makes Fort Myers Beach the slice of paradise we all love. Here's your host, cabo, jim Schaller.

Speaker 2:

Welcome good neighbors to the Fort Myers Beach Good Neighbor Podcast. Today we have Jackie from the Fort Myers Beach Chamber Welcome.

Speaker 3:

Good morning, good neighbors.

Speaker 2:

How are we?

Speaker 3:

doing today.

Speaker 2:

We are awesome. It's a good day at the beach, right. Any day is a good day at the beach.

Speaker 3:

It's always a great day at the beach.

Speaker 2:

Right, right, even though it is rainy season now, we are getting so much needed rain.

Speaker 3:

We need the greeneryery, but it's absolutely beautiful right now.

Speaker 2:

The sun's shining and the tropics have been relatively quiet this year so far. So we're keeping our fingers crossed that it kind of remains this way.

Speaker 3:

But so far they've been kind. Let's keep the street going yep, yep, absolutely.

Speaker 2:

so I want to introduce you, obviously, but I started this podcast for the reason of giving back to the Fort Myers Beach community and sharing the stories of what's going on and kind of bringing the community together, and I want to have you on as a regular guest to help share some of that insight of what's going on and where we can help and where we need to focus some of our time and energy. So let's jump right in and you know. Share away with where we should be focusing on and what's going on well.

Speaker 3:

Thank you for that. I appreciate it and, and, um, you know, I think, as you know and I say it quite often, you know it's easy to do things when you love them and clearly I love this community, I love this Island, you know love the people that are on it and we have such a great story to share out there, and it's an absolute honor and a privilege to be able to to not only live on this seven miles of paradise, as we call it, but it's also a privilege to work here. I'm blessed that I have a less than one mile commute every morning to my office, which is amazing, and the entire way I get to look at this gorgeous Gulf water on one side and the back bay on the other. So I want to take an opportunity to share that with folks that are out there and remind people who do live in our community how lucky we all are to be here, despite everything that's happened. We, we all, are to be here, despite everything that's happened.

Speaker 2:

We are so lucky. Yeah, we've kind of I want to say you know, clean the slate a little bit down here, but there's a lot of rebuilding going on and things are changing. But, um, we can't forget the past. But at the same token, we need to move forward.

Speaker 3:

So I know, there's a lot going on on the beach right yeah, so true, don't they say the one constant is change.

Speaker 3:

I mean it happens all the time right, and since the dawn of time here on the island, when the Caloos Indians were here, it's been nothing but changing.

Speaker 3:

Obviously, since then, and part of what I hope to share with you and through your podcast and with our friends and neighbors and maybe future residents and guests, is that our island, while it's changing now and it is very different than it was three years ago and even before COVID five years ago there's so much opportunity here and so many great things here, but I want to recognize that. But I also don't want us to forget our past and our history and who we are and where we came from, and I would love to explore with you through this podcast and in other ways, to remember those people who have left an indelible mark on this community through their service and through living here and through being a part of, you know, living on Fort Myers Beach. So that's, I mean, those are the kind of fun things to share, not only what's in our future through our front windshield, but let's look a little bit in our rearview mirror and honor and acknowledge those who have come before us.

Speaker 2:

And we don't want to lose those stories, because there's a lot of great stories out there that you know if they're not told, if they're not shared they're going to be forgotten and we don't want to forget that.

Speaker 2:

So very true yeah, it's so very true. Talked with a number of people already and it's just, it's just so interesting of you know what life was like back in the day, or how did this become this, you know? Uh, it's just, I love that type of stuff and that's the stuff I want to share with our listeners. And you know, like you said, people that live here, uh, tourists or future residents. You know anybody. So there's a lot going on as far as rebuilding too. Is there anything new that's going on that we can kind of focus on?

Speaker 3:

Yeah. So looking, you know, obviously, on our windshield at the future, we have got quite a few large, really inclusive projects and some large and some some medium sized projects commercially that are on our horizon, that have been approved, that are coming, things like the the Neptune resort, you know, for a complete rebuild in a resort style, the Moss Marina, which will become Arches Bayfront and that's going to be a very large resort and Marina style entity that will anchor our back Bay on old San Carlos Boulevard. So we'll have, you know, obviously, the revitalization of time square on the front with, hopefully, our new pier coming along and it is moving. It's moving at a snail's pace but it's coming. So you know that will anchor the front on the Gulf and then arches on the back on the Bay. You know, with them coming along, a water taxi is what we're being told and has been talked about, which will tie together all of the Back Bay and Marina properties and the different places like Mountain House and Fishtail Marina down on the South End and hopefully allow for some movement of our folks back and forth on the water instead of just on the boulevard. So those are super exciting things.

Speaker 3:

The Whale Bar and Restaurant is out of the ground. The roof's on. They're putting the windows in. As we speak you can tell they're working furiously. I'm hearing a opening sometime in the fall. They were hoping for September, but I'm not sure if we'll make that. So I'm expecting certainly before the end of the year. Super exciting. Big shout out to Don and Mike Miller for their vision with that, and perseverance, obviously, is the word of the island. It's patience and perseverance are my two P's that I'm saying all the time. So that's coming along.

Speaker 3:

The fire station Station 31, is clicking right along. We're talking about a topping out ceremony and and that's super exciting and we'll anchor, obviously, our safety services at the center of the island. Um gosh, what am I missing? Pink shell has an expansion project that's been approved moving forward. The lighthouse resort. Kiki bar has an expansion project moving forward. Interiors unlimited. Down toward the south end is finishing their building. They should be hopefully open by the end of the year, maybe. Santini Plaza continues to welcome new tenants, commercial tenants in there, and of course, every street has a new house on it. Every single street has at least one new house either up done or in the process on it.

Speaker 3:

That alone is mind boggling, and you know when you go off the island in the morning you see the work trucks coming even in slow season loaded up with all the things that are going to the different houses and buildings. It's pretty exciting.

Speaker 2:

And the one thing I really like about. You know it's changing, obviously, but the one thing I really enjoy is the look of the new houses and the new buildings. It's very beachy, very tropical, very colorful, so it's adding a burst of life into the community. I love it.

Speaker 3:

It is true, there's a couple of streets especially that are super colorful with these fun pinks and blues and teals and greens and yellows and purples, and so that's really kind of neat to see and the houses look like our little cottages, but they're just a little bit higher up in the air.

Speaker 2:

So you know it's been a better view up there.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, yeah, there you go, and I love to see the creative ways that people are addressing the flood mitigation and resiliency issues. You know, for example, the beach bar that just had their ribbon cutting and opening celebration over fourth of july. They've built their building up on the 19 foot. You know stilts, essentially pilings that if a storm is coming in they can take all of the things on their ground floor. They're on trailers, they'll trailer them out. They open up the the roll down shutters and just let the water wash through. It's really, I mean, it's just we're addressing, we're being creative and finding new ways to to address these challenges yeah, and be safer moving forward.

Speaker 2:

So we don't have a situation like we had here. So a lot of new things coming with the businesses, but then we also have there are businesses that are up and running right now and reason people should come to the Island. Now I know it is it's off season, but people still should come down.

Speaker 3:

Right, right, we are open for business. I mean, folks need to come, especially if you want to staycation. Right now there are great deals on the Island. There are dining discounts, there's all kinds of happy hours. Every night of the week there's a special somewhere. The hotels, resorts, vacation rentals are all offering really, really great prices for a long weekend stay or a midweek stay. Gosh, reach out. Right now. We are open. All of our water sports are running. All of our tours and charter boats are running. Key West Express is running. Our shrimp docks are bringing fresh shrimp in every single day. So get on out here and enjoy some summertime fun. Our water is beautiful, it's nice and warm. And gosh the wildlife. I see a ton of wildlife all over the place. So we've seen, obviously, everything turtles, manatees, you know, manta rays, all kind of fish out there. People are fishing, you know parasailing, jet skiing, having a great time in the summer.

Speaker 2:

so come on out and it's the best time to come down, because I'm a people person. Yes, I like people. But you know, when I'm at the beach sometimes I like to be a little quiet and it's nice to come to the beach and have a little plot to yourself, without people on top of you. And I'll tell you one thing you know, the water is probably the clearest. I've seen it in a long time.

Speaker 2:

I was in the Gulf last weekend and I was up to my waist and I could see my feet clearly, which you haven't been able to see for a long time and I'm like it's just the color's beautiful you haven't been able to see for a long time and I'm like it's just the color's beautiful, everything's just beautiful about it.

Speaker 3:

So I love it. I love it. I'll be at the beach this weekend. Very encouraging because, you know, despite the fact that we are having rain now, we do get water from the Caloosahatchee River. Right, you can still see the clarity of the water and that's a shout out to the work that's being done with, you know, cleaning the everglades and cleaning, like okchobe and the c43 reservoir, which just opened this week officially uh, the governor did the running cutting out there.

Speaker 3:

That is absolutely affecting our water quality. And when you come over the sky bridge, there are teals and blues and greens. We have color water right now yep, and I love it.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, that reservoir has been a lifesaver.

Speaker 3:

Like I, we're not getting all that wash up from the collision like we normally do, so it's made a big difference and a lot of commitment there with the Army Corps and the South Florida Water Management District, but shout out to them there. You know they're all working together to help us downstream and it's very much appreciated.

Speaker 2:

And talking about water quality, you just something just happened the beach on the backside with the water quality.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, at the Mound House, the chamber has a water foundation. It's our 501c3 arm that will help folks who are studying, watching, monitoring, testing water on or around Estero Bay and Estero Island. Only so we were able to fund the Moundhouse, who's working with FGCU to put a water monitoring station in the docks at Mound House on the back bay. And what most folks don't know is there's a series of water monitoring stations that run all along through Estero Bay, from down in Bonita Beach up towards Sanibel, and this station that the Chambers Water Foundation funded helped to plug a hole that we had in that monitoring. So it is testing real-time testing water 24 hours a day, every 10 minutes, and you can actually log on to your computer any time of the day or night and get real-time data as to what's going on with the water. In the back bay, right behind the mountain house, you can get temperature, salinity, alkalinity, phosphorus, nitrogen what kind of and I'm no scientist, so don't hate me on this but what the turbidity of the water is?

Speaker 3:

uh you know whether there's blue green algae there? All of these great things and folks are using that all over the world to study our our water and keep an eye on the water in our back bay watershed.

Speaker 2:

It's really fascinating that is lots of good things going on on the island here. I love it. So looking forward. What do we have to look forward to?

Speaker 3:

Wow, so a lot of great events coming up through the end of the summer, into the fall, of course, into the winter season. I know we have a group that's going to be doing a Mullet Madness weekend on Fort Myers Beach. It's the small business group I think they're trying to remember they just formed. They're putting this event together. It's something new for us and lots of activities Everybody's invited to join on in, both for us, you know, businesses and residents and guests. So if you Google Mullet Madness, fort Myers Beach, that information will come up.

Speaker 2:

And it's not about haircuts, right.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, yeah, well, it's food and fashion.

Speaker 2:

So it's food and fashion, all right.

Speaker 3:

So you can participate in the mullet toss while wearing your mullet and I think there's going to be a twinning contest with with people and their pets that look the most alike with their mullets on.

Speaker 3:

So you know there's an opportunity to be twinning with your pet. They're going to have mullet tosses and mullet dips and mullet dishes, and so it should be a really, really fun weekend. So the group that's doing that is what's Up, fmb, and if you Google them that information will come up. I know that the Community Foundation is working on a pub stroll. October the 25th, I believe, is theirs.

Speaker 3:

We will have our official kickoff of American Sand Sculpting Championship on October the 24th at Margaritaville. We'll be in an evening open house. Everyone is welcome to come, there's no charge and we'll be unveiling the first sculpture there. And then we'll have a series of things through the month of October leading up to sand sculpting, which will be November the 20th through the 24th. So that will be at the Diamond Head Beach Resort, but we will have satellite sculptures in other areas for you to explore and see. And then, of course, the boat parade the Christmas boat parade will come right behind that. That'll be the first Saturday in December Don't quote me, I think it's December the 6th, so that'll be coming up pretty quickly.

Speaker 2:

So that's just a smattering, that's just a small smattering of all that will be going on. Is there a songwriter series, too? That's going on?

Speaker 3:

Yes, oh my gosh yes, please forgive me, I forgot about that. That's the Island Hopper Singer-Songwriter Festival. Our island will be hosting that the last weekend in September, but remember it does start the weekend before in Captiva. It spends a few days in Cape Coral, a few days downtown Fort Myers and then it comes to us for the last weekend in September with the final show at the pink shell pool party, which is always a huge hit maker. So you know, don't forget about that going on. And obviously if you Google Island Hopper, fort Myers beach, that'll give you all the dates and times. It'll also hook you into what's happening on Captiva, cape Coral and Fort Myers. And those, don't forget, those are the folks who write the songs and sometimes they perform their own songs.

Speaker 3:

But, many of these people are the ones who write the big hits that we all listen to. Just somebody else sings that ballad or that melody or that song for them. But you meet people here that a few years from now, all of a sudden they're pretty famous and you're like oh my gosh, I saw them at the Island Hopper Right.

Speaker 2:

You look at people like Chris Stapleton, who wrote a million songs for a lot of people and now he's a big star himself. It's crazy how talented these people are.

Speaker 3:

Yep, and he was here. And then also every Sunday evening, don't forget, we still have our free concert series through the summer at the Bayside Veterans Park. That's in conjunction with the restaurants down there Nervous Millies, Wahoo and Snug Harbor, along with the chamber in the town of Fort Myers Beach. And Alex King Realty is, of course, you know, sponsors us through the rest of the year on that. So that's free. Come on down, and I'm hearing through the grapevine that Lighthouse has a reggae show right after that, so you can come to the free show and then go over to the lighthouse and finish your Sunday night out with some reggae.

Speaker 2:

The after party.

Speaker 3:

There we go.

Speaker 2:

We love it. Lots of good things to do at the beach. I know we're on spend of my time anyways, so Jackie it's been a pleasure. Thank you again for the update, and we're going to do this on a regular basis, so we'll have you back on, but we'll see you at the beach soon, okay.

Speaker 3:

Sounds great. Look us up, always happy to help Take care.

Speaker 1:

Thanks for tuning in to the Fort Myers Beach Good Neighbor Podcast, where community meets paradise. If you love what you heard, share it with a friend and keep the good vibes going Until next time. Stay sunny, stay salty and keep being a good neighbor. Also, to nominate your favorite neighbors, local legends, heroes or island businesses to be on the show, go to CaboWaboGymcom. That's CaboWaboGymcom, or call 239-427-4100. We want to send out some island love to Eric Tibbs from Edward Jones State Insurance USA and Home Welfare Services Fort Myers. They are the businesses that allow us to share the soul of our community with every listener, from local stories to the positive vibe of island life. Here's to celebrating all that makes fort myers beach the slice of paradise we all love.