Heavy rain floods parking lots, restaurants on Fort Myers Beach

FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. – Fort Myers Beach saw a total of 6.5 inches of rain over the weekend.

“I left Cleveland for some sunshine but here I am in this cloudy, windy area,” said Justine Neward.

“I’ve been to the lovely Fort Myers before and it was lovely, but not now,” said Dawn Glading.

Down-pouring rains and high wind really put a damper on the mood for some vacationers on Fort Myers Beach on Sunday.

“We stayed in, played cards and that’s about it,” Glading said.

Choppy waves crashed into the shore, palms barely withstood the wind. Even local restaurants, like the Fresh Catch Bistro, mopped up rainwater leaking into their upstairs patio.

“The flooding is very unusual. It just happens to be the way the wind is blowing,” said Jerry Noland, the manager of Fresh Catch Bistro.

Over in North Fort Myers, the Moody River overflowed and the rising flood waters even lifted up boats in one woman’s backyard.

“The water came so far up our yard our boats are usually inverted with the engines in the water itself, but they came almost up on the plain the water got so high,” said Carey Eykely.

Despite the gloomy and wet day, everyone still found a way to enjoy themselves.

“As you can see, the restaurant is about 75 percent full, even with the weather,” Noland said.