2 more Fort Myers Beach staples sell for big money

More businesses on Fort Myers Beach have been sold after being devastated by Hurricane Ian. While their prices seem sky-high, some are working to keep the old-school charm.

The property where The Cottage and Shuckers once stood on Fort Myers Beach is officially under contract. The owners found a deal that they liked, and they worked out the terms and conditions.

The listing agent would not tell WINK News who bought the property but did say over text that it is a “Very well-respected company.”

The asking price for The Cottage and Shuckers property was $16 million. WINK News was told that it sold for around that price.

WINK News was curious, like many others, as to what the property that The Cottage and Shuckers once stood on could look like.

Rock Solid Structures, which is not associated with the company that purchased the property, has an idea of what this structure will need to look like to be up to recent codes.

“This is steel… Galvanized steel. And as long as you’re not cutting it, it doesn’t rust. It becomes a column. It takes you down into the footer and turns down so that the building doesn’t come off the footer, this is insulated, so the insulation is protected by the concrete,” said Kenn Davin, a design expert with Rock Solid Structures.

WINK News reached out to one of the previous owners of The Cottage and Shuckers. She is one of three owners, out of the 10 original, who want to maintain their ownership and be involved with the next group.

WINK News was told that is still the plan, and the previous owners want one thing for sure to never change; the name. They want whatever is built on the property to always be called The Cottage and Shuckers.

The Cottage and Shuckers property is not the only one to sell on the island recently. The Silver Sands Villas property has also sold.

The developers who are bringing us Margaritaville, TPI, bought the property for $7.1 million. That is a pretty big figure considering that land originally sold for $1.75 million back in 2001.

The sale did not come without some heartbreak. The message that the owners put on Facebook when they released the news said, “It is with a heavy heart that I announce that our beloved Silver Sands has been sold. Due to the lack of insurance proceeds, state of the town, and permitting processes … I decided to sell and retire.”

As sad as it is, the change to the charm of the town could be underway.

WINK News reached out to the CEO and COO of TPI for comment on their purchase of Silver Sands. They didn’t have time for an interview but said they would release more information about the purchase on Tuesday.

With all the changes coming to the Island, there is still the question of replacing damaged infrastructure like street lights.

“Conversion from the existing high-pressure sodium streetlights to LED Amber-approved fixtures with no up-front cost to the town,” said Eric, a representative from Florida Power and Light, at a town hall meeting on Fort Myers Beach on Monday.

FPL will replace 131 street lights on Estero Boulevard for free.

“I don’t think everyone realizes how… I think… monumental what you just said is,” said Jim Atterholt, Fort Myers Beach’s Vice-Mayor, at the town hall meeting.

FPL says it has a company policy that allows them to provide the city with new street lights at no cost to the city.