Ousted former Fort Myers Beach Town Manager Roger Hernstadt has sold his .16 acre lot on Avenida Carita for a smidge over $1 million. The deal for the empty lot was listed by former Fort Myers Beach Mayor Tracey Gore, according to online records.
Hernstadt’s house was the only house on the island that caught fire during Hurricane Ian which included high winds and massive storm surge. The house was on the water. The fire was never investigated, according to the Fort Myers Beach Fire Department.
Following the storm Hernstadt failed to communicate with island residents about how the town government was dealing with recovery and he was immediately replaced after the November election.
According to online records, the property, which had a house on it at the time, was purchased for $542,000 in 2017.
I used to live on Anchorage and a house on that street caught fire right after the storm. I know of at least one other fire farther south that day and several on Sanibel and Iona. Lithium batteries, fuel in the water, there are many ways a fire could take hold during a hurricane. (The victims of the fires in Maui got burned while floating in the water because of fuel from boats, are they just looking for an insurance payout?)
Imagine if this was just an accident like a thousand others in the storm. You don’t know what happened and the whisper campaign may well be victimizing 2 people (he has a wife) that lost everything and were probably devastated to lose everything they owned, including treasured family heirlooms. It’s time to just move on and not stoop to tabloid journalism. There are more important stories to tell.
There was also a house on Anchorage (my old street) that caught fire after the storm.
House on Ibis burned down during hurricane. Neighbors house had burn marks on ceiling from ebike battery explosion but floodwaters must have saved house from burning down. Too bad because their Fire insurance would have paid better. Not surprised at Rogers sale and realtor.
So surprised that Tracy Gore was his real estate agent. NOT!!
Mango Rita’s on time square I owned. The fire alarm and sprinkler system was set off before the surge came. One can assume that wind caused electrical or gas issues. Still fighting insurance companies. Not one penny. Also near our home a house burned to the ground during the hurricane. Lots of factors other than just the surge itself. Not a fan of Roger as anyone that knows me can attest but his loss was just as tragic as the rest of us.
Ironically that lot Roger sold is the house that burned down right after the storm. He must have maxed out on all insurance policies.
Typical flood insurance policy is $250,000. He could have purchased more, depending on his mortgage, if he had one. Nothing sinister about a house fire during a hurricane. Could have been any number of things?: gas canisters, an electrical wire, etc. I think our fire department had a lot more important matters on its hands at that time than to investigate this. It was saving lives.
Doubling your investment in six years is plenty good enough, but was he also able to collect insurance $ on the actual structure?
He probably maxed out the flood, wind and homeowners policies, it would have been a windfall for Roger, 777’s in addition to his multi 6 figure severance package from FMB for leaving. Lucky SOB
I’m curious, do houses that were soaking wet after being inundated with flood water typically catch fire?