Will the Downtown Fort Myers post office ever reopen?

The once busy downtown Fort Myers post office has been a ghost town since Hurricane Ian came roaring through.

People who once frequented and relied on the building are now forced to go elsewhere.

For almost a year, people have been wondering if the building would ever open again.

The City of Fort Myers may have new plans for the historic downtown district.

Nothing is set in stone yet, but the city said developers have asked about purchasing the parking lot adjacent to the post office.

Developers might also have an interest in the post office itself, but the city said the post office has about three years left on its current lease.

There are talks of making the lot a boutique hotel, but right now, it’s just talk.

“There’s been some people in very casual passing conversations that have expressed interest in potentially developing that space that we own,” said Fort Myers Public Information Officer Liz Bello-Matthews. “A lot of times people don’t realize that the post office building and land and the parking lot adjacent to it are not owned by the same entity. The city of Fort Myers only owns the parking lot. We do not own the post office or the land that it sits on.”

“Anytime you bring more people living downtown,” said Mayor Kevin Anderson, “that creates, well, number one, it supports the existing businesses, and it can tend to also create the need for additional businesses, which is good. That means, you know, business means employment, taxes, services, all of those things.”