Fort Myers Beach shows grit, resilience 7 months after Hurricane Ian

Hurricane Ian left in its wake the complete destruction and isolation of buildings and homes in our area. But its people make Southwest Florida, and we will be stronger through the process of coming back.

Thursday night was another Resilient Lee meeting on Fort Myers Beach to discuss using hurricane funds. Resiliency is apparent as some restaurants return after losing everything during the storm.

Liki Tiki BBQ was getting ready to celebrate its fourth year on Fort Myers Beach, but then Hurricane Ian changed everything. They lost everything, but this week they held their soft reopening at a new location.

Customers told WINK News it’s a sign of progress in an area that still needs a lot of help. And Thursday night WINK News learned how your voice can make a difference in determining the financial help coming to Lee County.

More than seven months after Hurricane Ian, the Liki Tiki BBQ is welcoming back familiar faces at a new location.

“It was very emotional. I mean, we saw some people that, you know, we didn’t know if we were ever going to see them again,” Kristian Stojkoski, the general manager of Liki Tiki BBQ, said.

Former Regulars are happy to support the business’s return.

“I think the small businesses really need help. And they need support,” Liki Tiki BBQ customers Bob and Sharon said.

Even Fort Myers Beach icons, like The Whale, are reopening, even if they’re unrecognizable.

“I know businesses need help, but I mean, there are no businesses without people living here. And to me, it’s the homeowners. The homeowners need the help,” The Whale owner, Mike Miller, said.

The Whale is able to serve customers again thanks to the help of a local food truck owner. But still, they recognize there are many unmet needs.

“The hidden need is going to be your workers, your people that take care of your restaurants, that take care of your hotels, that do all the labor. There’s nowhere for them to live down here. There’s no affordable housing for them to live down here,” Marshall Barnhart, a food truck owner, said.

That’s where the Resilient Lee Recovery Task Force comes into play. Through federal funding, the task force has access to over $1,000,000,000 to help Lee County recover.

“This grant is the funding of last resort, so all the unmet needs of a community can be addressed with this funding,” Fort Myers Beach Town Council Member Bill Veach said.

And every voice, including yours, matters. During a series of town hall meetings, your input will have a direct impact on how the money is spent.

“They’re the final voice. There are some things they may suggest that are not feasible with all the different angles of funding, but we want to hear what’s important to them,” Veach said.

There are still more than a dozen town hall meetings that will happen. They are in-person and online and at different locations throughout the county.

As for the Liki Tiki BBQ, their grand re-opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held next Tuesday.

Click here for more information about the Resilient Lee Task Force. You can watch Thursday’s meeting here.