Fort Myers Beach mayor excited for RV park transformation

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CREDIT: WINK News

One of the biggest land deals an island town has ever seen is a positive, the man in charge said.

On Wednesday, WINK News showed viewers an inside look at the transformation the former Red Coconut RV Park on Fort Myers Beach will get.

Some of the transformation includes a 137-unit condominium complex, four Estero bay-front homes, three swimming pools with public access and a pedestrian overpass.

WINK News spoke with the Fort Myers Beach mayor, Dan Allers, who said it is a sign the community is finally shifting from Hurricane Ian’s clean-up phase to the rebuild phase.

“I am excited to have a good neighbor and a good partner that have been around a long time working with us on the island, helping and redeveloping,” said Allers.

However, Allers believes it’s important to focus on new beginnings.

“You deal with what you get dealt, and you work as hard as you can to get back to where you were. We certainly have a lot of work we completed, but we do have a lot more work to go,” said Allers.

Bill Wagner, co-owner of The Buffalo Grill, said they are happy to see more people coming back to Fort Myers Beach.

“It’s exciting that the clean-up process has been completed, and now they are really looking to what is the next step, and this will never be the same as it was clearly,” said Wagner. “But how do they take that and take it to the next level?”

Jim Atterhold, the vice mayor of Fort Myers Beach, shares the same excitement for local businesses and the community.

“In a way, as long as there is public input involved and we can move forward in a positive way, and there are some compromises along the way, but usually it works out positively for everyone,” said Atterholt.

The mayor of Fort Myers Beach told WINK News there will be a public meeting to talk about the building plans for the Old Red Cocounut RV Park. He’s unsure when that will happen, but community members will have a chance to voice their opinions then.

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