Fort Myers Beach residents fight to ground helicopter tour company

FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. —

A Fort Myers Beach helicopter tour company may be landing elsewhere, after a meeting inside town hall sent concerns soaring.

Fly Heli, which has been running training flights from a floating barge in the back bay of Fort Myers Beach, is facing strong backlash from residents. They say the barge is parked in a sensitive wildlife zone by Bowditch Point Park, home to manatees, dolphins, and nesting birds, and that the noise is disrupting both nature and their own recovery from Hurricane Ian.

At Monday’s Marine and Environmental Resources Task Force (MERTF) meeting, every single public comment opposed the plan. Some called it inappropriate for a quiet residential area, others said the sound of helicopters brought back traumatic memories of search and rescue missions.

“Frankly, we’re in an area that’s under major reconstruction,” said Judy Holsem, who recently returned to her rebuilt home. “We were all traumatized. We lost so many homes. We have so much vacant land. I don't see what the draw is here.”

"It's going to impact a lot of the wildlife that everyone comes to see on Fort Myers Beach," said Brian Cooper, another Fort Myers Beach resident. "The dolphins, the birds, the manatees...Why don't they go get a hangar at the airport?"

The board voted to recommend relocating the operation, but town officials say they don’t have the authority to enforce that. The barge sits more than 1,000 feet offshore, outside town limits, and helicopter flight operations fall under FAA jurisdiction.

Fly Heli President Steve Overy says he’s listening and may be open to moving the barge.

“Possibly just relocating a landing area .... that would be ideal for the residents,” he told Gulf Coast News.

For now, the helicopter isn’t flying tours, but the community debate is fully airborne.

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