Former Fort Myers city councilmember returns home nearly 2 years after Christmas Day fire

Levon Simms, a former Fort Myers city councilmember, has moved back into his home on Saint Charles Street after a fire on Christmas Day 2024 caused extensive damage and displaced him for a year and a half.

"I'm going through a lot of emotions. My whole thing is, it's just good to be back in my own house as opposed to living in an apartment," Simms said.

The fire, which started in the garage, was a moment Simms described as "very unusual."

"Christmas Day was very unusual," Simms said.

Simms recalled the moment he saw the fire, saying, "Oh my freaking God!" Firefighters were able to save the home from total loss, but the damage was significant.

"I don't think we ever just got to, you know. Oh, my God, it's the end of the world, you know?" Simms said.

During the recovery process, Simms found a basketball from his coaching days at North Fort Myers High School, signed by players, including Deion Sanders, a former student who went on to play in the NFL.

"So. And even when you walk through that door, you look at it, wow, man. That's, you know, and made me feel good," Simms said.

Now, Simms has moved back into his rebuilt home, which looks brand new and shows no visible signs of the fire damage.

"But I was never in that point where I just get. I was feeling sorry for you, you know, because you were, you were kind of like, man, you lost your how you lost everything," Simms said.

Simms is still in the process of settling in, with several moving boxes yet to be unpacked. He shared that he always believed he would return home one day after the fire.

He also offered advice to others, emphasizing the importance of smoke alarms.

"Make sure you check it and let it. You know, just so happened we did have an alarm system," Simms said.

"You never, never know when you're going to have some kind of catastrophic event," he added.