Allen Shanosky has been a Fort Myers Beach resident since 1999. Four generations of his family have lived on the island and fished off the Fort Myers Beach pier. Allen has a special connection with the pier, which makes him a perfect person to sit on the Let’s Go FMB pier committee.
The Fort Myers Beach pier was demolished on September 28, 2022, when Hurricane Ian battered it with high winds and ferocious storm surge for hours. One Fort Myers Beach’s iconic landmarks, the perfect spot to watch the sunset, was smashed to pieces.
The pier belongs to Lee County. It’s one of several pieces of property the county held onto after Fort Myers Beach incorporated back in 1995. Lee County also owns Lynn Hall Park, Bowditch Park, Crescent Park and Estero Boulevard. With about $12 Billion worth of damage done all across Lee County, it’s unknown when the county will replace the pier or where it fits into their priority list.
Fort Myers Beach residents are starting to get a bit louder in their desire to see the pier replaced now that it’s nearly a year later. Lee County Commissioner Kevin Ruane said on Beach Talk Radio several weeks ago that it would be years before the pier is replaced. So far there haven’t even been discussions on what a new pier might look like.
This week at the Resilient Lee meeting at DiamondHead, Chamber President Jacki Liszak stressed the importance of the pier to Assistant Lee County Manager Glen Salyer. “The pier is a critical part of Fort Myers Beach. I cannot tell you how important it is to get the pier back and get it back fast.”
Salyer’s answer made it clear that the discussions between the town and the county, about the pier, haven’t even started yet. “What kind of pier does the town want? A Basic pier, or a pier integrated into a new Times Square?”
There are so many challenges in the Times Square area right now. In addition to Lee County owning Lynn Hall Park and the pier, the town owns the former road that goes through Times Square from Lynn Hall Park to Estero Boulevard. And, there are multiple business owners along the square who either have their property up for sale, or are waiting for the town to start planning on the future of that location. In addition to all that, the town is trying to foreclose on Terry Persaud’s Sunset Grill property.
That brings us back to Allen Shanosky, who, along with his wife Cynthia and their dog Brody (pictured here) have been traveling up and down the east coast of the United States visiting piers to try to understand the process and report back to the full Let’s Go FMB organization.
They’ve been looking at the size of piers, gathering information on what they cost and how long they take to build. Allen plans to put all the information together for a presentation no later than October. He also hopes to include some rendering suggestions. “My vision of the pier is to be able to have the history of the beach co-exist with fishing, tourists and resident.”
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