County leaders press Washington to end long wait for Fort Myers Beach pier

FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. —

Nearly four years after Hurricane Ian tore apart Fort Myers Beach’s most iconic landmark, a new push from Washington may help end the wait.

On Tuesday, commissioners are set to officially approve an $11.7 million construction contract to rebuild the Fort Myers Beach fishing pier, but even with the contract ready to go, construction still cannot begin just yet.

The county said it's still waiting on approval from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which is still reviewing the project. Currently, there's no timeline for the permit approval. County leaders say it could take a month or even another year.

“Eventually we might choose other beaches to go to, because, you know, you want to be able to walk out on a pier and take pictures,” said Darcy Beagan of North Fort Myers. "It's long overdue that they built that pier back."

For many business owners, rebuilding the pier is seen as a key part of Fort Myers Beach’s continued comeback.

“The pier’s up here is going to increase foot traffic dramatically,” said John Sion, selling beef jerky at the Fort Myers Beach farmers market Friday. “It’s government red tape on the federal level which is preventing this."

Some of you are asking if county leaders are doing enough to cut through the red tape.

Commissioner Brian Hamman tells Gulf Coast News he recently returned from Washington, D.C., where he met with White House intergovernmental affairs staff, Army Corps leadership, and members of Florida’s congressional delegation to push for faster action on the permit review.

“He agreed that the review has taken longer than it should have and committed to working with us and the leadership at the Jacksonville district to expedite review,” Hamman said about his conversation with Army Corps leadership.

Hamman said the county already has the funding and the design complete, but believes federal coordination is what’s holding the project up.

For now, the broken pilings still stand as a reminder of Hurricane Ian’s destruction.

But after years of waiting, people say they're now watching for whether this latest push finally turns into progress.

"Like a lot of political promises, I’ll believe it when I see it,” said Steve Beagan of North Fort Myers.

Gulf Coast News has reached out to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for an update on the permit review and to ask what is causing the continued delay in final approval. Because of the Good Friday holiday, the agency said it was operating with limited staff and would respond as soon as possible.

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