Fort Myers Beach condos still under construction 2 years after Hurricane Ian

As condos are turned into construction zones, the impacts from Hurricane Ian are still evident two years later.

Todd Kluener owns a condo and is the board’s vice president at the Seaside Resort.

“So our roof got completely ripped off. The surge went through the first floor, and first-class Whirlpool was going through their units,” said Kluener.

He told WINK News the permitting and planning process to rebuild took longer than expected, but they are nearing the finish line.

“The biggest hurdle is having our elevator contractor come in and start rebuilding our elevator,” said Kluener.

Then, they must have the fire department sign off and say the building is safe to live in.

“We call on a pretty much continuous basis, asking for consults to say, ‘Hey, what do we need to do? What are we missing here?’ And we’re more than happy to come out just to let them know, ‘You’re missing this. Let’s get this in line,’ and we want them in as fast as we can get them in there, but we want them in there safely,” said Bill Genevrino, Life Safety Specialist at the Fort Myers Beach Fire Control District.

That means working water pumps, alarm systems, fire doors, emergency exit signs and lighting.

“It’s those larger, more complex systems that are going to take more time, and therefore, you know, kind of be the limiting factor as to when you can get in,” said Genevrino.

Since Hurricane Ian, the fire department has inspected 476 apartment or condo buildings, including the Hibiscus Pointe condos on the southern end of the island.

Lynn Gregory doesn’t own a unit here, but she’s renting one while her condo next door continues to be worked on.

“Keep getting new dates when you can move in, and those dates come and go, and then there’s new dates after that, and it’s just been a very long process,” said Lynn Gregory.

Condos are building back stronger, with many adding hurricane-impact windows and moving their electrical systems higher up.

“When these condos get back open and running, we now have owners that come back to stay, vacationers that support the economy locally,” said Kluener.

“I’m just waiting until it’s just the day because it’s been too many disappointments,” said Gregory.

The Fort Myers Beach Fire Control District told WINK News that they didn’t experience any major setbacks from Hurricane Helene and that no properties had to be red-tagged.

Many owners hope to be back in their units later this year or early next year.