McDonald's has the golden arches, and Fort Myers Beach used to have arches of its own. That was a long time ago. Now, some in the community want to bring back the landmark, and at what cost?
Today, people met with a county commissioner to talk about moving this project forward. They want to get a new set of arches built but need money and the county to approve it.
"We want something that people can go to. They get their picture taken and maybe have a little plaque that talks about the history of the arches," said Gina Sabiston, volunteer with the arches project.
For nine years, a group called " Restore Fort Myers Beach Arches Inc ." has been raising money to rebuild the arches. The gateway to the beach was built 100 years ago at the main entrance. It came down when the Matanzas Pass Bridge was built. Hurricanes have slowed down the group's mission to put the arches up at a new spot, the Bowditch Point Regional Park.
Gina Sabiston is a volunteer with the Rock the Arches project, and they're frustrated by the delays.
"The location at the tip of Fort Myers Beach has to be restored to pre-Ian standards before we are permitted to build anything on site. Okay. And that's FEMA of course it's a government organization and it takes a lot of time," said Sabiston.
The group met with Lee County Commissioner David Mulicka on Thursday to talk about the project. Founder Steven Mcdonald said everyone in the meeting seemed to be in agreement to help move the project along.
Visitors to Fort Myers Beach hope it happens soon.
"I think it's brilliant. You should have, you know, a rich cultural or a history and a little beach town like this. You should hang on to that. And I think it'd be great if they can do that," said Andrew Mcclellan, a visitor to Fort Myers Beach.
The group also doesn't know how much the project will cost. The group also doesn't know how much the project will cost. To help raise more money, the non-profit is hosting an event on May 3rd at the shrimp boat dock on San Carlos Island Beach.
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