Moss Marina owner hopes to transform property into hotel development on Fort Myers Beach

For six generations, the Freeland family has been thriving in Southwest Florida. Ben Freeland wants to continue that tradition by redeveloping Moss Marina and rebranding it as Arches Bayfront on the bayside of Fort Myers Beach. 

The idea to transform the 4.5-acre site from boat storage sheds into boutique hotels, restaurants and retail began percolating even before Hurricane Ian slammed into the area on Sept. 28. After the hurricane wiped out about 6,000 waterfront area hotel rooms, the idea accelerated over the past six months, Freeland said. 

“We were looking at what we wanted to do pre-hurricane,” Freeland said. “The hurricane changed everything in a day. We’ve been here a long time, and we have a great piece of property that’s made for this. We’re in the perfect spot for redevelopment.” 

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