If you've ever been to Downtown Fort Myers, odds are you've seen the historic Rachel at The Well statue along McGregor Boulevard. However, on Tuesday, city council voted to end negotiations with the construction company that was supposed to fix the surrounding area.
Residents in Fort Myers are running out of patience and want the statue to be protected completely.
"It's frustrating because it's such a focal point on McGregor, and people drive by it and they wonder, and they see it as we're not recovered," said Paige Rausch, a Fort Myers resident.
Paige says whenever she looks at Rachel at The Well along McGregor Boulevard, she thinks about Hurricane Ian.
"A lot of people are back up on their feet, but one of the things that is such a prominent feature of our community, she's still looking like she's a little roughed up," said Rausch.
"The truth is, I'd like her done tomorrow," Virginia Harper told Gulf Coast News.
Virginia Harper, the president of the Lee Trust for Historic Preservation says she is worried for the next big storm.
"She looks good from the outside, but you got to look at her closely — she is ripe for more weather damage right now," Harper said.
Gulf Coast News spoke to Mayor Kevin Anderson Wednesday morning after the city council decided on Tuesday to cancel negotiations with the only bidder.
Anderson said they made the decision because the repair bid was more than $800,000.
"We're basing what we see FEMA reimbursing on this, and it's not that if we have to put some extra money over FEMA, we will do that, but just because it's FEMA dollars doesn't mean we should spend every dollar," said Anderson.
This means the city can now look for new bids.
"I just ask people, I know it's been a long time, but please be patient we're going to get this done, and we're going to get it done right," Anderson told Gulf Coast News.