Scott Wirth has been the interim Fort Myers Beach Fire Control District Chief since Ron Martin resigned back in March. On Wednesday the Fire Board authorized their attorney to negotiate a contract to make Wirth permanent Chief.

The Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau is running an awareness campaign called “Savor the Shore” to encourage residents to eat at local restaurants and visit local attractions during the off-season.

The big retail store called WINDS at 150 Old San Carlos is planning to rebuild and reopen. The store, which sits at the corner of Old San Carlos and Estero Boulevard, was gutted by Hurricane Ian on September 28, 2023.

The Lee County Board of County Commissioners has approved an eight percent increase on water, sewer, and utility services. The Town of Fort Myers Beach is supplied water by Lee County Utilities and the sewer system on Fort Myers Beach is owned by Lee County. 

The next Fort Myers Beach Chamber of Commerce Coffee Connection is Thursday, August 3rd at 8AM at Beach Pottery, located at 17980 San Carlos Boulevard, about 2 miles before the Matanzas Pass Bridge.

FMB Strong, located at 820 Buttonwood, fed over 70 people last Friday. The lasagna buffet was provided by Lasagna Love & Carrabba's Italian Grill and served up by the team at FMB Strong with help from local volunteers. Learn more about how you can help FMB Strong HERE.

Organizations such as Homeowners Associations have a Monday deadline to apply for state funding to repair infrastructure damaged by Hurricane Ian. The money is being administered by the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM).

Lee County Parks & Recreation will host a Florida-Friendly and Native Plant Swap & Seed Exchange from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Aug. 19, at the Karl Drews Community Center located at 18412 Lee Road in Fort Myers.

As part of its phased reopening of its parks and beaches, Lee County officials have informed Beach Talk Radio that Bowditch Beach will reopen in mid-August. All three Lee County facilities on Fort Myers Beach (Lynn Hall Park, Bowditch and Crescent Park) were heavily damaged by Hurricane Ian.

The Fort Myers Beach Library suffered extensive damage from Hurricane Ian and as of today, according to Operations Manager Elizabeth Rhodes, it's unclear when the facility will reopen again.

While many people are on vacation this month, and most government boards do not meet throughout July, there are two very important meetings on Fort Myers Beach this week. Both will impact the amount of taxes you pay as a Fort Myers Beach resident.

As we reported last week, Lovers Key State Park is now open every day from 8AM to sunset.On Sunday we took a bike ride through the park to see what was open, what was destroyed by Ian and if the tram was running down to the beach. Watch the 12-minute video HERE.