Staple restaurant reopens and entertainment district considered on Fort Myers Beach after Hurricane Ian

Moss Marina on Fort Myes Beach has an idea to use 4.5 acres of land to make a beach entertainment district.

While it’s only an idea for the time being, the potential that can come from the land is enormous. There isn’t public access to the bay but Ben Freeland, the owner, along with the community’s feedback wants to change that.

Freeland plans to keep the community involved with these plans for a mixed-use redevelopment at Moss Marina.

“We really think it can be a huge community asset and a great development to help rebuild the beach after the hurricane. So as our property was decimated, we kind of accelerated plans here so we’re looking to do a mixed-use keep the Marina use as a hotel, restaurants, and retail and really bring a lot of vibrancy onto the bay side,” Freeland said.

Even though nothing is set in stone yet, the ideas are just another way to bring life back after Hurricane Ian.

Meanwhile, The Whale, a staple restaurant on Fort Myers Beach, reopened on Thursday for the first time since Hurricane Ian hit Southwest Florida.

When The Whale reopened at 2 p.m., a group was already walking toward them. And the support hasn’t stopped for the Fort Myers Beach staple.

The restaurant has everything you’d expect from a restaurant except for a roof. But, that didn’t stop them from serving the community on Thursday.

The Whale will only serve drinks, but next door, grab some BBQ from Dudleys Beach Side BBQ.

With customers returning for the first time, a jubilant sentiment permeated the Fort Myers Beach restaurant.

WINK News spoke with David Fite, a regular at the restaurant, who was excited about the reopening.

“We all live right behind here, and we were always anxious to have The Whale back. And this is a signature that the beach is recovering, that The Whale is making the attempt to come back. And the owners had just bought the property three or four months before the hurricane. So we are glad to see they are resilient enough to rebuild,” Fite said

The Whale will be open from Thursday to Sunday, depending on the weather.

The Whale is another representation of the consistent focus and effort Southwest Florida is putting on rebuilding since Hurricane Ian.