It’s a no-go for the temporary trailers at the Wyndham property on the south end of Fort Myers Beach. Property owner John Callis was hoping to open a temporary setup with 5 trailers as he worked his Development Order, for a larger project, through the process.
There appears to be a lot of support from south end residents and visitors for the temporary setup which included food and drink trucks and an area for live entertainment. However, In August of 2025, the town adopted a resolution to end any new Temporary Placement Permits and gave Town Manager Will McKannay the authority to extend permits that already existed. To get the extension, property owners had to prove they were on a solid path to rebuild their business. There are currently 12 businesses with Temporary Placement Permits that are being reviewed by the Town Manager. The Wyndham was never issued a Tempoarary Placement Permit.
On our Facebook page this week, we asked for feedback about the temporary setup on the property. A majority of the responses were in favor. Barbara Kompelien writes, “Yes definitely. The south end needs some food resources and some entertainment. You now have to leave by 1:30 to get north at a decent time.” And from Luke Williams: “Yes. The south end needs this. Regardless of what could have happened better in the past and what could possibly happen in the future this is a venue that we need right now.” The south end has been in desperate need of restaurants since Hurricane Ian. Before the storm The Wyndham was one of several popular locations on the sand that residents and visitors on that end of the island could hang out at without having to travel to the north end or to Bonita.
There is also opposition to the Temporary Permit, especially to a parking lot with over 100 spaces. Again, from our Facebook survey: Rainy Ingle Kitkowski wites, “I live on Bay Beach Lane / full time resident and the Town Manager should NOT issue a temporary permit for this ever! No large paid parking lot and mobile restaurants. Build a permanent structure /something that contributes to the tax base. If they can’t afford to do that, sell the property to someone that can. Don’t ruin the south end of the island.” And from Diane Mary: No! Too many food trucks! So you can pay too much to sit at a picnic table in the sun with no atmosphere and listen to the smelly generators. No thank you.”
Several LPA members also voiced concern over the project this week during a meeting on Tuesday. Jim Dunlap said there was “suspicious concern.” It took several years, and a lot of pushing and prodding to get the Callis family to demolish the Wyndham building, which was absolutely hammered by Hurricane Ian and left unsecured for a very long time. LPA Chair Anita Cereceda says these Temporary Placement Permits are “a huge mistake for the town. They just just keep delaying us so dramatically. It doesn’t help us push forward.”
The town issued a statement to Beach Talk Radio yesterday about the Temporary application the Wyndham submitted. “We are grateful for the Wyndham’s contributions to the town’s recovery and value them as an important part of our community. We also understand why residents want to see them host food trucks. However, we want to be clear, we’re not authorized to issue a temporary permit there. Those permits were only available to properties that already had one during hurricane recovery. Wyndham didn’t, so there’s nothing to reopen or extend. Any new activity on that site is considered new, and new means it goes to the Town Council in a public meeting where the whole community gets a say.”
“It is important to note that the food truck park (across from the old Town Hall property on the North End) submitted an extensive commercial development plan. The process took months of work, and they followed the proper procedures by filing the necessary paperwork and required amendments. They met the appropriate standards. We’re happy to help Wyndham navigate that process. But we can’t skip it.”
The bigger plan, which takes longer to wind its way through the permitting process, is a Development Agreement for a mobile restaurant, a 7,200 square foot tiki structure, 18,000 square feet for up to 9 trailers and a commercial parking lot. That parking lot would be paved with 58 of 260 spots set aside for restaurant customers, and a recreational area on the beach.
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