Gulfshore Business

As Hurricane Milton began making its way across the Gulf of Mexico to a precise destination yet unknown on Florida’s Gulf Coast, Lee County business owners on Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel Island and other coastal areas weren’t waiting around to find out.

Hurricane Helene’s storm surge spared Santini Marina Plaza on Fort Myers Beach, where The Islander Gift Gallery & Boutique reopened Oct. 4

When residents living in Charlotte County’s Peace River Shores and surrounding communities learned that nearly 140 acres in their area were being rezoned to allow for a 1,188-unit development, they joined forces to oppose it.

The Naples taproom for Riptide Brewing Co. changed hands in early September and is now the family owned and operated Kaleidoscope Beer at 987 Third Ave. N.

A new chef-driven dining venue has transformed the former space of The Causeway, a short-lived food hall that closed this spring in Bonita Springs.

Breeze Airways, an airline less than 4 years old that began with three destinations out of the region, chose Southwest Florida International Airport as a new base of operations.

The 136-year-old Naples Pier will undergo a seventh transformation after City Council unanimously approved a nearly $23.46 million construction contract to rebuild the pier after Hurricane Ian destroyed it two years ago.

Punta Gorda restaurant owners vow to reopen after Hurricane Helene clean up. While some restaurants opened quickly, others might take longer.

With negotiations going down to the wire, Naples Comprehensive Health and Florida Blue agreed on a new three-year contract late in the day Sept. 30 that will keep almost 40,000 of the insurance carrier’s members in network with the health care system.

Only the businesses and restaurants along Bay Street, Dean Street and Lee Street flooded—and that was with a few inches of water, not a few feet like two years ago.