Ft Myers Beach - Good Neighbor

FMBGN-Resident-Melody King-Rising From the Storm

• "Cabo" Jim Schaller • Season 5 • Episode 18

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The soul of Fort Myers Beach didn't wash away with Hurricane Ian. Just ask Melody King, who watched from a third-story window as the storm devoured her paradise on September 28, 2022—her 39th birthday. "You never expect your birthday to be the worst day of everyone's life," she reflects with remarkable clarity in this powerful conversation.

Melody's story begins six years ago when she arrived on Fort Myers Beach, drawn not by planning but by something deeper. "I didn't pick this place. This place picked me," she explains, describing how she found "the most elusive souls and the rhythm of the sea" in this coastal community. Before Ian, life was idyllic—driving tiki boats, living near the marina, and raising her son with support from local schools and neighbors.

Then came the hurricane. Melody's visceral descriptions transport listeners to that terrifying day: "Everything looked like Godzilla and I felt like there was a monster literally swallowing our island alive." In the apocalyptic aftermath, she immediately began checking on 68 community members, witnessing both devastating loss and extraordinary kindness. While thieves pillaged ruined homes, neighbors supported each other with unwavering compassion.

From this crucible of tragedy, Melody has forged a new purpose with her Gulf of America Girl LLC brand. Far from just another business venture, it represents her mission to showcase the enduring spirit of Fort Myers Beach and welcome people back to experience this special place. "Your dreams are still valid," she insists, extending an invitation to visitors and potential residents alike.

Perhaps most striking is Melody's honest acknowledgment that rebuilding is generational work—potentially an 18-year journey—while maintaining unshakable optimism about the future. "The comeback is going to be greater than the setback," she declares with conviction born from surviving the unimaginable.

Ready to experience or rediscover Fort Myers Beach? Visit GulfOfAmericaGirl.com to connect with Melody and become part of this community's remarkable story of resilience, faith, and rebirth.

Gulf of America Girl
Melody King
Fort Myers, FL, United States, Florida
(219) 299-5787
gulfofamericabusinessemail@gmail.com
GulfOfAmericaGirl.com


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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 Fort Myers Beach Good Neighbor Podcast. Today we have Melody King, captain Melody, mermaid Melody.

Speaker 3:

Which one is it? Just Melody today? Cabo Lavo Jim? Just Melody today. Thank you, Thank you very much for having me. Yeah, absolutely.

Speaker 2:

Always excited to get to know people in the community and share their story with everybody. So, without further ado, let's start your story. Why don't we back up and why don't you share a little bit about yourself?

Speaker 3:

So 2025, july 6th? Is it the 6th of July? Today's the 7th? Today's the 7th? So I lost the day, which is exactly why I intentionally didn't know what day it was. So, living on Fort Myers Beach here I'm on my sixth year living here. I am a 41 year old single female, mother of two, grandmother of three, which makes me a mother of five, plus an amazing son-in-law. So shout out to my whole family I am really just a woman of faith and I have been leaning into it over the series of the last six years on this very awesome island that we call Fort Myers Beach.

Speaker 2:

So what first drew you to Fort Myers?

Speaker 3:

Beach. How'd you end up here? Wow, right, what an incredible question. So, everybody, we are right where we're supposed to be.

Speaker 3:

I'm at Yobin right now, rocking with Yobin Yobin basically, the reason I moved here wasn't for Yobin, but people like the owners of Yobin, tony and Lori Lovell the community of people drew me here. So about 11 years ago 12 years ago now I was assistant director of operations for a pretty large IT company and our business was in Naples. Business was in Naples and a gentleman by the name of Greg Scazney, my fearless leader, one of the partners, the pit bull of project management. He basically exposed me to the entire Southwest Florida culture and I found the most elusive souls and the rhythm of the sea. I found a very free place on Fort Myers Beach, but I didn't pick this place. This place picked me.

Speaker 3:

So, years before Hurricane Ian, I literally traveled, went to 17 states, went to six different countries and, by default, january of 2019, six months before I moved here, what I thought was six months before I moved here, what I thought was six months before I moved here I threw a dart and it landed in the Gulf of formerly known Mexico. So I moved it to the place that I was last at, and Fort Myers Beach was the spot, and, by a leap of faith, I sold everything up north and I moved my at the time eight-year-old son to Fort Myers Beach Elementary School, where I partnered up with the Fort Myers Beach Elementary School teachers, principals and the Bay Oaks and they helped me raise my son here. I am here because of the people and the energy of the sea, so let's talk about that.

Speaker 2:

Ian, obviously the big thing down here, fort Myers Beach. What was life like on the beach prior to that for you?

Speaker 3:

Life on Fort Myers Beach before Hurricane Ian. Well, I was living across the street from the marina I worked at and I was driving tiki boats. I was retired. We had the best marina family, the best morale in the community. I mean, I can tell you that it felt like it was the good old days and nobody told you that they would be the good old days, but like, when you look back they're just flashes of like the best times of my life, literally.

Speaker 2:

Nobody expects things to change, especially changes so dramatically, but I guess nobody really prepares for that either. We all think hurricanes are like, oh, we got this, we got this. But when something like that happens, what kind of things were you doing to prepare yourself for?

Speaker 3:

that, the days leading up to Hurricane Ian, I was preparing for a photo shoot. I was sponsored by Salt Life. I had met what turned out to be one of my best friends ever Erica. She was doing my hair. I was really excited about the future. I was turning 39 on September 28, 2022. And you never expect your birthday to be the worst day of everyone's life, but literally everyone's life was affected. There was not one person I would say even one person from across our nation that this didn't affect if they loved this island or had someone here or a piece of something here. Before hurricane ian, we were really high with the highs out here and we really loved life on fort ryders beach, and we still do. I mean, honestly, we still do. We just color it in new lines now, you know, know.

Speaker 2:

It's changing, but we're grateful. Obviously, a lot of people didn't survive. You made it through what happened to you personally during the hurricane.

Speaker 3:

On September 28th, roughly around 1030 in the morning, I got a phone call from a captain that was in Rome, that I used to co-captain his sailboat at Salty Sam's Marina, and he told me I needed to leave because if I didn't leave with my son and go to higher ground, that was stupid and he was going to get impaled by a coconut. And just when that happened, bam, a coconut hit the trailer I was in. I literally took my crash bag, took my dog, took my son, checked my Facebook. There was a private message from somebody I didn't know, with a very foreign name, who is named Hakeem, and he said here are the pictures and images of where this just went through. You need to go and don't make jokes about writing out the storm above your cabinets in the snack cabinet for your son. Your son and you won't survive. People are done.

Speaker 3:

And when that happened I went to the condominiums at the Boardwalk April because it was important. I went back to where I had just taken out storm windows. I was provisioning boats at the marinas around here. I was helping people get situated. I was helping people from a distance that couldn't situate their boats and their belongings get situated. I remember as I was pulling out, I banged on the door of two of my elderly neighbors, one that I had just had tacos with at Benita Bill's the day before, on Tuesday the 27th and I said you got to come on, miss Sue the 27th. And I said you got to come on, ms Sue. Yeah, yeah, yeah, we'll be fine over here. And I just I had a flash of like oh my gosh, something horrible is going to happen. And I made it all the way to the third story of the boardwalk cave where the water was already coming in. There was such an incredible energy of fierceness coming from the sea that you could just feel it in the air. You could feel it in the motion of the trees, you could feel it in the way that the birds were no longer here. And I was on the third story of the boardwalk caper, near center, overlooking the pool which overlooks Bowditch and the inlet, and it overlooked the entire island of Fort Myers Beach.

Speaker 3:

And as everything was coming over, I was on FaceTime with the owner of the condo, who literally saved my life by allowing me to be there, and all of the power places that had power. They surged at the same time and everything looked like Godzilla and I felt like there was a monster literally swallowing our island alive. And I was watching it from the third story, where I could see over to get away, marina. I could see boats breaking, I could hear noise. I could see sailboats coming. It was from about 1 pm, 2 pm on all the way to 7 o'clock. Then the darkness came in. The boats barely buzzed by the sides, almost smacking into that building. People were floating by, screaming for help in the cupola, tossed out an extension cord at someone on a floating dock that only after power, 13 days later to my phone, got restored. Did I actually see there was someone floating on a dock on my live Facebook video? I didn't know any of those people were. I took an oath to aid anybody in distress on the water. This captain and I knew immediately I needed to start making a list and I made a list of 68 people that I knew on this island were on the island still and in 48 hours. My main goal was to get over that bridge and to get to these people and to acknowledge that they're alive.

Speaker 3:

The day after Hurricane Ian wow, was this like such a bizarre feeling. It almost felt like literally like an apocalypse like zombies, I mean, if I could describe it. It was like the most intensely sad moments I will ever experience in my entire life, and there was no shortage of media to perch up outside and hold cameras in. People I couldn't even recognize and I knew them because we were all so dirty. People I couldn't even recognize and I knew them because we were all so dirty. We were all so in distress, we were all so distraught. There were thieves, there were people. We have no idea who these people were. They came to steal, they stole all the belongings that were mucky and yucky and disgusting in a house that nearly floated away. A boat almost snapped into the house by like this much to the house that I was in. So, hurricane Ian was everybody's worst day ever, but it was absolutely eye-opening and I gained an entire new clarity of life.

Speaker 2:

So what helped you survive, not just physically, but mentally as well too? That's a big part.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, you know, um, mental strength determines your physical abilities. And I'll be honest, uh, I pray and I I talked to God a lot and I remember screaming make it stop, please, like you, beg God at a certain point to just stop. And then, from that point until today, I'm still just begging God to please don't ever let anything happen like this ever again. And there is a vivacity to our weather in the last three years. There is a vivacity to the sea that is undeniable. There is a vivacity to our tides, to our poles and our moons and Mother Nature. She's not messing around and the energy of the sea is what has literally succumbed me. So I've, since Hurricane Ian, just been in this slow, steady surrender.

Speaker 2:

Were there, certain people or moments that helped, and could you do an insight?

Speaker 3:

Yes, yes, I remember members of our community and seeing them days and weeks and months after they. They came around with this energy and I spoke about three days after Ian. I had to get a chainsaw from Cape Coral and I finally got cell phone service and somebody told me call FEMA. So I called FEMA, I tried to put in my claim, you know, because that was getting the line, I guess, was the train of thought, and this little voice, a Hurricane, katrina survivor.

Speaker 3:

She made me understand I needed to not only be the anchor but to allow people to come with, to anchor back here, because everything we knew, every landmark, every street sign, every soul that we had was crushed, literally devoured by it. And the people of Fort Myers Beach have anchored me forever in this foundation of trust in my community. And it isn't about being a part of a club, a clique or politics. It's being a part of a community that unwaveringly offers love and compassion and kindness. And I will forever give the shirt off my back to these people because of the love and the anchor that I feel I found home, you know, and it doesn't matter if it's a bad day, a bad week, a bad month, a bad year, a bad few years. It is all about the people that stayed here for me and the people who still stay here for me.

Speaker 2:

So rebuilding and reinventing you know, moving forward from that is not easy. But at what point did you say I'm not just surviving, but now I'm rebuilding and moving forward?

Speaker 3:

Yeah, so at a certain point we all have to step back into the everyday life, right, but how do you do that when it hurts so bad? I became very close with the walk with God. I realized whoever created my birthday, brought through a series of unfortunate events impaling upon not only me but these people that the only way that we're ever going to be able to move forward is if we create the life that we've always wanted to live. I looked at it like a divine intervention. Um, I realized that there's a renaissance that is amongst us now, and I realized that we all, at one point, got to create the grandest vision of our life and run relentlessly at our dreams.

Speaker 3:

And then, just when you think you got it all figured out, we make plans and Mother Nature, in this aspect, laughs in our face. So I realized that making plans is important, although it's not everything. But living in our current moment, being very present, being very grateful and being very self-aware and leading a charge of free people, people have freed themselves from the trauma of Ian. You know, we forgive mother nature, right, but we're not bred to forget. So my whole goal is to be prepared and to forget people for whatever it is we face in life um, but most importantly what we face living here in southwest, where there's a lot that we face down here.

Speaker 3:

It's still a beautiful life, though.

Speaker 2:

Let's talk about that beautiful life. That's what you're good at. Golf of America Girl, it's the next chapter in your life and moving forward, but why is it so meaningful to you? What does all that about?

Speaker 3:

Oh, golf of America Girl LLC is getting ready to launch. It's valuable. It's valuable because I don't represent you have to join a club. I don't represent that you have to be like in this clique to have all these friends and people, you don't have to be a part of a political scene at all very, very large group of Fort Myers Beach lovers from across the nation that just want to experience this life for a day, a week, a month, a season or maybe the rest of their life.

Speaker 3:

And I will tell you, looking dead at the camera your dreams are still valid and Golf of America Girl is an American brand that I don't care if it's Gulf of the Gulf of the Gulf, like we can just do, the Gulf of the Gulf. That makes everybody better. Come to Yobin, have a coffee and go to the Gulf of the Gulf. But the Gulf of America is a freedom and I firmly believe that, whatever reason your soul was called to Fort Myers Beach, it should come back. Pick up your cell phone, call the Gulf of America girl. We want to show you how to achieve the optimal quality of life living or visiting Southwest Florida.

Speaker 2:

And what do you hope that teaches people about the resilience you know, the spirit of Fort Myers Beach?

Speaker 3:

So the spirit of Fort Myers Beach, the lessons that we have learned, unstoppable, undeniable, unwavering love for this lifestyle. If you've ever seen anything in the series of the last three years that you may have learned from me, melody King, I'm letting you know. There is a very, very colorful palette and you can pick and you can choose what you want to be a part of here in Southwest Florida, as long as you's all the way up the Gulf into North Florida. The Gulf of America girl is going to infiltrate on all of these different levels, multiple levels of cross-marketing. I'm also doing affiliate marketing. We're looking to be sponsored by as many brands as we possibly can, all shapes, all sizes. It's not just the Gulf of America girl, it's the Gulf of America guy, gulf of America kid. And the Gulf of America is about to go wild again for its lifestyle Because we will prepare for whatever happens over the series of the next unfortunate we don't know events, as we call it hurricane season.

Speaker 3:

But as long as we're prepared, we're going to come back and the comeback is going to be greater than the setback. And I think we're proving that now, going into three years. No one told us that it's actually a generational rebuild. So after something like Hurricane Ian, it's 18 years to rebuild businesses, buildings, developments and the community. The community should have never come last. So we're here, the FMB Good Neighbor Podcast at Yoween. I got to go this way with the camera Rocking the local high with them because Gulf of America, girl is the lifestyle and there's nothing better than that.

Speaker 2:

So how can people get involved and help and create this brand and create this community to what it should be?

Speaker 3:

All right, we're going to rock the golf. I'm going to be giving away swag. A lot of people sent in their flash mob model walk and they did their thing on the Internet. We appreciate everybody that did that and showed up to the event, but we need you to go to GolfOfAmericaGirlcom. Write us a little message on our landing page.

Speaker 3:

We're not actually going to be launching until season, but we're going to have a series of YouTube videos that are going to be going out and we're bringing the good old barter back. Bubble wobble gym. We're going to be bartering for a free boat ride. So if you haven't been on a boat in a really long time I don't care where you're from write to us and tell us why you want to achieve a free boat ride, and I want to know, whatever your business does, what are we going to get for a return of it? I don't want your money, but I want to bring the barter back. All right, we'll see how big and strong our book is by the end of our series, but that's what we're going to be starting. So a series of YouTube videos. I'm happy to partner up with Cabo Wabo Jim over here and the FMB good people podcast. Cause the community out here has so many good neighbors. We cannot wait to show, showcase.

Speaker 2:

I love it. I love everything you're doing. I love you.

Speaker 3:

Appreciate it, appreciate you. Any last words, listen, live your best life. And if you're afraid to pick up your cell phone because the Gulf of America, girl, is where dreams are born All right.

Speaker 2:

And this is all about. You know the people that make this island home and make it a community, and I appreciate everything that you've done. And you know this is the paradise we all know and love. We just want to introduce it to more people.

Speaker 3:

Exactly. I think that is probably the main thing is, before Hurricane Ian, we were one of the top five tourist destinations in our nation, voted by millions on TripAdvisor. You can check back that. I think it was April of 2022. We are known as one of the top disaster-prone areas in our nation by lawmakers and we need to change that. It's still paradise. Cabo Wabo, Jim, I agree.

Speaker 2:

That's why I'm here.

Speaker 3:

Let's get to the dock dude, All right.

Speaker 2:

Well, thank you for being such a good neighbor. Nice, the beach or at the dock soon, right?

Speaker 3:

Yay, yay, see you on the dock. Thanks, jim.

Speaker 1:

Thank you. Thanks for tuning in to the Fort Myers Beach Good beach 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 CaboWaboJim. com. That's CaboWaboJim. com, or call 239-427-4100. We want to send out some island 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.