Natacha Casal
•9/13/2026
The Roar Offshore powerboat race made its long-awaited return to Fort Myers Beach this weekend after a hiatus following Hurricane Ian, drawing large crowds and providing a significant economic boost to the area. Liz Morris of Margaritaville, the event's title sponsor, shared her excitement about the event's comeback. "We weren't here before Hurricane Ian, so we are blessed to just be here and work with the Trent family to be able to bring Roar Offshore back as a title sponsor, and we're just super excited to be here," Morris said. Throughout the weekend, Fort Myers Beach was packed with visitors eager to celebrate and witness the return of the high-speed event, which features super stock catamarans. Spectators enjoyed excellent views from various spots along the beach. Isabella Torrente, whose father purchased the rights to Roar Offshore in June, reflected on the importance of reviving the event. "This is really special, of course, because we haven't had a race here since Hurricane Ian decimated Fort Myers. I am really grateful to be able to bring this back to all of these amazing fans and these amazing people that can come out and support it," Torrente said. The event also brought a major economic boost to the town. Hotels along the coast, including Margaritaville, reported sold-out rooms as visitors poured into Fort Myers Beach for the weekend. "That's really our jam. We want to see the whole island thrive, and you can see the impact just by the amount of people that are on the island right now. The traffic is a little bit crazy, but there's so many people on the beach," Morris said. The festivities continue Sunday on Fort Myers Beach with the Roar Offshore Super Stock Championship Race scheduled for 2 p.m. 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
