Pink Shell Beach Resort seeks expansion on Fort Myers Beach

The face of Fort Myers Beach could look different as the Pink Shell Beach Resort wants to expand.

New renderings depict a new boutique hotel building that would be separate from the established resort on the island.

WINK News reporter Jolena Esperto visited Fort Myers Beach to hear residents’ thoughts on the expansion.

While some are excited about the prospect of more places to stay on Fort Myers Beach, others are worried about this proposal and the others that may follow it.

Many of them, who were born and raised here, said they don’t want to see the gorgeous water views on this road blocked by a boutique hotel.

The beautiful view is the reason Pink Shell Resort is looking to expand.

We spoke with Bill Waichulis, the senior vice president of operations with Boykin Management Company, who said, “You have a lot of hotels that are closed, and then you have a lot of hotels that are not going to even come back at all. They’re either going to be condos or built as homes, so I think there’s a need for more hotel inventory on Fort Myers Beach, and that’s one of our offers of doing the 40-unit boutique hotel.”

They want to build a new hotel in this empty lot across the street.

“These are nice pictures, but you really do not get an idea of the scale until you try to visualize it actually on the lot,” said one man during a public meeting on the proposal. “It takes up the entire lot, and it’s going to eliminate any view that we have enjoyed for 50 years of the bay.”

The man, named Richard, was one of three people who expressed their concerns to the Fort Myers Beach town council about the proposal.

Another concern with the project is the density Pink Shell is requesting, 40 units per acre.

Another resident who voiced his concerns said, “Unfortunately, [Hurricane] Ian comes through, and now they buy a little baby lot and want to get a height variance and increase in density, which, again, I just don’t even see where that comes from.”

On the height: Waichulis said that after dealing with a lot of storm surge during Hurricane Ian, he wants to expand higher, too.

“Ian–horrible. You know, we had storm surge almost to the top there. It would be, obviously, height because it would be five stories over, over the flood, and obviously, flood has gone up higher, so there is a height request that we have,” Waichulis explained.

The proposal, if approved, would expand Pink Shell to 241 units over 6 acres on Fort Myers Beach.

No decision was made on Tuesday, so it will be discussed again next month.