Locals and visitors react to rare Southwest Florida cold snap

A rare cold snap hit Southwest Florida, bringing a chill to the usually warm region on Friday.

Despite the cooler temperatures, locals and visitors alike continued to enjoy the sunshine on Fort Myers Beach.

Visitors from Kansas City, Jake and Kim Sitler, shared their thoughts on the weather.

"Is there really such thing as cold weather? Because I don't really think there's is here," said Jake Sitler. "They just don't know. They don't really understand what cold weather is. So that's okay. We'll come and enjoy it."

"We love visiting Florida. Yeah, we're, we're excited to be here, and the weather is amazing, and we're soaking it up one day at a time before we have to head back to the cold," said Kim Sitler.

For locals, the cold snap brought a different perspective.

"I think I woke up in the middle of the night last night, going, oh my, it's gonna be 40 degrees in the morning tomorrow," said Marcel Chartier, food and beverage director at Diamondhead Beach Resort. "What can we do to, you know, please the guests around the beach and give them a place to go to."

Diamondhead Resort adjusted by closing its cabanas and opening a warm spot indoors. However, the beach bar later reopened as the day warmed up.

Resort guests Kacie and Bo Adler from South Dakota expressed their enjoyment of the weather.

"I don’t think it's cold, it's warm, it's nice out," said Bo Adler.

"Yeah, I think that's that's very funny, because, I mean, being from South Dakota, it's very cold, always there. So we thought it was hot, like we just got out of the pool, and thought it was nice and sunny," said Kacie Adler.

Bo Adler had a message for those in Southwest Florida who found the weather chilly.

"Suck it up," said Bo Adler.

The temperatures are expected to rise back into the 70s this weekend, offering some relief for those hoping for warmer weather.