Fort Myers Beach leaders approve waivers for ROAR Offshore event

The Fort Myers Beach town council approved requests to waive the noise ordinance and allow the use of town property for the ROAR Offshore event, set to take place from Sept. 11 to 13. The decision cleared a path for the powerboat race to return after Hurricane Ian. Five racing teams will participate in a boat show at Times Square. Event organizers also plan to rent 22 parking spaces at Beach Access 36, next to Margaritaville Beach Resort, to stage additional boats. Lee County resident Thadd Stevens shared his excitement about the event, recalling fond memories of past races. "The sound and watching them go by was pretty neat. Exciting. A lot of people always smiling, yelling, and it was just an overall good environment," Stevens said. Longtime Fort Myers Beach visitors Lori and Kelly Nickell expressed their enthusiasm for the races. "We're excited," Lori Nickell said. "Anything that you can do to bring people to Fort Myers — it's a good thing." "I think it'll be exciting. I haven't seen anything like that yet, but it should be fun," Kelly Nickell added. The Lee County Sheriff’s Office, Fort Myers Beach Fire Control District and town staff still need to approve the requests before the event can officially proceed. DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.