Fort Myers home destroyed by Ian gets renovation

Though a Fort Myers family’s home was wrecked by Hurricane Ian, their spirits remain intact.

The Newtons have spent the last year of their lives conquering what seemed like an impossible task: rebuilding their home.

“At one point, I think it was about 7 o’clock that evening, it finally stopped rising,” said Neil Newton, “so once it stopped rising, we knew we were OK. In the master bedroom, we had a large wooden bed that floated up to the ceiling, so I carried the family on my shoulders, and they ended up floating in the bed until the water went down that night.”

When the water went down, the Newtons were met with their new and sad reality.

They had to gut the home and start from scratch. A month later, Kelli Esposito, with interior design company Harper’s Haus, helped them plan and then worked on their ultimate vision for a new home.

The family has spent most of the last year living in an RV but will be able to see their new home a year after the storm.