Fort Myers Beach powerboat races return in September for first time since Hurricane Ian

FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. (WINK)—The roar of powerboats will return to Fort Myers Beach this September for the first time since Hurricane Ian.

For years, ROAR Offshore brought thousands of people to the island, packing hotels, restaurants and bars during a slower time of year. Now, people who live and work on the island say they're ready to do it again.

"It was always exciting, so many people," said Colby Winget. "You would've never known it was just a small beach town."

Winget compared the event to a few days of fun on the beach like a Miami boat show. He said visitors can get the Miami vibe in Fort Myers with people wall to wall, spring break-style crowds, boats, music and restaurants.

"People honestly were everywhere," Winget said. "It's something that we haven't seen in a while."

The difference this time is new leadership. Shaun Torrente, a world champion offshore racer, purchased ROAR Offshore in June and says there is a lot to look forward to.

"We'll have somewhere between 15 and 20 super stocks. That's the name of the class, super stock, and that way the fans and all the people that come and watch can actually identify with what's out there," Torrente said. "They can follow a boat through the weekend. We'll have testing and qualifying on Friday. We'll have heat races on Saturday. Saturday afternoon we're going to do speed cat run, which no one's ever seen here."

Organizers are still looking for more sponsors, volunteers and a green light for a permit. The Town of Fort Myers Beach told WINK News it's currently reviewing the special event permit.

Torrente said the main hub will be surrounding Margaritaville. He said about six or seven lots will be used for the pits, allowing people to walk around within a two or three-square-block radius to see all the teams and race boats.

There's excitement and a little pressure. The quick turnaround gives many businesses only about a month to prepare for the crowds.

The town's communications team said it is very likely to get approval for the event scheduled for Sept. 11-13. Greg Jenkins, who works on the island, said the event will be good for all the businesses.

"It'll bring in that crowd of people that like the offshore racing, watching the boats and that," Jenkins said. "So it'll be good for all the businesses."