Fort Myers Beach Elementary set to demolish ruined building

Reporter: Tiffany Rizzo Writer: Joey Pellegrino
Published: Updated:

The Lee County School Board is expected to sign off on demolishing Fort Myers Beach Elementary School’s ruined building, a step toward getting students back in class.

A little more than 50 students will once again head back to Fort Myers Beach Elementary in the fall. It’s a small number, but it comes after a mighty fight for local families after Hurricane Ian.

The demolition begins Wednesday and is expected to be finished in just a month. If everything goes as planned, construction for the renovation is set to begin on Aug. 1.

It was a long road to get here. Debate surrounded the future of Fort Myers Beach Elementary. In May, the Fort Myers Beach Town Council was finally able to approve a deal with the School District of Lee County, ensuring the school would reopen this fall.

The deal, known as the interlocal agreement, comes with some conditions. First, SDLC will renovate the school to meet the needs of the 52 students currently enrolled in the school. Second, the school has to increase enrollment to 150 students by 2027.

“Both parties don’t really get exactly what they want, but they get something they can live with,” said local parent Patrick Vanasse. “It’s something we can live with… it’s something to keep in mind, we can’t be complacent.”
“This finally feels like we’re taking a step forward to getting back home,” said Lynzie Mackey. “I’m just happy to have some kind of a light at the end of the top of the tunnel for us.”

Fort Myers Beach parents have remained optimistic and are looking forward to the school bringing them back together as a community.

“Kids are resilient, but they need to have some normalcy,” said local parent John Koss.

“It’s what’s made us a community,” said local grandmother Jane Plummer. “Without our school, we’re hotels and rental properties.”

The target date to welcome students back to Fort Myers Beach Elementary is Nov. 13.

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