Fort Myers Beach faces reshaped, more expensive future after Hurricane Ian

First days and now six months after the forces of Mother Nature destroyed much of Fort Myers Beach, the forces of human nature began and continue churning to reshape it.

A 1954, three-bedroom, two-bath, landlocked home on Bayview Avenue that sold for $545,000 in April 2021 sold again in January for $500,000. At first glance, that’s an 8% depreciation in value. But upon further review, Hurricane Ian destroyed that house, leaving only splintered wood in its wake.

Raw land on the beach is selling after the storm at prices close to what undamaged homes were selling for before it. A $500,000 lot, plus about $500,000 to build a 2,000-square-foot home at $250 per square foot, means million-dollar homes are going to become the norm on the island. In 2022, only during March, May and December did the average price of a Fort Myers Beach home eclipse the $1 million mark.

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