Broken gate on Lovers Key Beach Resort frustrating residents

Residents of Lover’s Key Beach Club in Fort Myers Beach are frustrated with a gate that remains wide open, despite “No Trespassing” signs, since Hurricane Ian struck two years ago.

The property managers have paid over $19,000 to a company called Gatekeepers, but no work has been completed, and they have been unable to secure a refund.

Board President Randy Cartwright said, “We signed a contract last February. They were supposed to come and install it into February, then March, then it kept getting pushed back, and then they eventually stopped answering our calls.”

Residents, including Cartwright and Vice President Kirk Jones, expressed concerns over the lack of privacy due to the open gate.

“When you call, it goes over to an answering machine company, so you don’t regularly get to talk to anybody from there,” Jones said.

The management company, Sand Castle Management LLC, paid Gatekeepers $19,355 for repairs almost a year ago on Feb. 26, 2024.

Jones added, “The gate openers pretty much all rusted up. It was under probably about three, four feet of water during Ian, so it’s totally useless. So we cannot shut them ever. And so now we have no trespassers or just people that want to come in.”

Despite attempts to contact Gatekeepers, responses have been limited. Bob Unger, one of the owners, said they feel bad for Lover’s Key but are struggling as a company.

“We really don’t want them to come here and do the work anymore. We just want our money back,” Jones said.

Gatekeepers’ owner mentioned they would try to issue a refund but did not specify a timeline.