People spend holiday break on Fort Myers Beach

Reporter: Valentina LaFranca
Published: Updated:

For those who decided to stay in Southwest Florida during the holidays, they had one thing in mind: the beach.

It was a pleasant sight to see for the beach town that faced back-to-back storms this year.

Fort Myers Beach was full of holiday visitors, both on the beach and in restaurants like Yucatan and Wahoo Willies.

One restaurant in particular is reeling in visitors and locals alike. It’s the Smokin’ Oyster Brewery, back in full force more than two years after Hurricane Ian.

Hank Leitnaker, operating partner, said, “When we were doing construction, people walking down the sidewalk, they said, ‘Oh, it’s our favorite place. It’s our first stop when we get here. We’ve been coming here for years.'”

Audrey Stull, on Fort Myers Beach for 40 years, was one local waiting for the reopening.

“We kept coming by and saying, ‘Is it open yet?'” Stull said.

Amber McRad has been on the beach for 23 years, almost as long as Smokin’ Oyster Brewery has been around.

“I’m like, wow, can’t wait to be back. Just walking up here I got goosebumps,” McRad said.

It’s emotional for a lot of locals here. The Smokin’ Oyster Brewery’s brings up many memories.

Steve Connor, a Fort Myers Beach resident, said, “We were here in Ian, and afterward [it] was just awful, so it’s nice to least see the people being able to come back and the beach as pretty as it is.”

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