The barrier island of Fort Myers Beach continues reconstruction and recovery following the 2022 impact of Hurricane Ian. The storm has been considered one of five of the worst natural disasters in recent history, and almost every building in Fort Myers Beach was affected (Fort Myers Beach Gov., 2025). Since Ian, the island continues to stand as a strong tourist and recreation attraction, despite repairs being ongoing. Withstanding later hurricanes Milton and Helene only two weeks apart, the continued functioning of Fort Myers Beach represents the effectiveness of natural and man-made storm defenses.

Recovery Efforts Bear Fruit

Following every hurricane, Fort Myers Beach puts a focus on coastal erosion prevention to keep private residences and property safe on the island. Reimbursement programs through the Florida Department of Environmental Protection for costs incurred remedying beach erosion, as well as the town government itself placing sand in beach areas permitted by private property owners. Lee County and the Florida Department of Emergency Management headed debris removal and waterway cleanup (Fort Myers Beach Gov., 2025). The combined efforts resulted in the bulk of the recovery being reduced to weeks from months for the Town of Fort Myers Beach after Hurricane Milton (news press). 

Future Planning Around Residents and Community

Following the Hurricane Sandy landing at the Jersey Shore and Long Beach New York, flooding repair became an enormous cost for impacted residents. ”To live by the ocean is very special,” Mr. Katof said. ”It’s a very nice place, unless there’s another storm.” “They sold the four-bedroom three-bath house in February for $647,000, less than what they had paid for it new nine years earlier, and got what Mr. Katof called ”a fair deal” on a two-bedroom two-bath oceanfront co-op on the boardwalk six blocks away, paying $507,000” (Rebuilding). Restoration efforts of the area included a concrete-reinforced boardwalk in 2013, 2,700 new trees planted, and plans for bulkheads that continue toward a bayfront esplanade. Forward looking plans made in a similar fashion to the Long Beach restoration could bring these benefits to Southwest Florida, safeguarding the property and residents that maintain the region as a top vacation destination. 

Barrier Island Preparation: A Necessity

The damage done to the barrier island of St. Pete’s Beach during Hurricane Helene had many people wondering what a direct hit would be like, having so much damage occurred despite the hurricane passing 150 miles to the north. “It wasn’t like a gradual thing,” Mr. Morton said. “It was like, here comes this solid wall of water, all at once.” “Mr. Morton, who is homeless, had sheltered from the storm on the balcony of a second-floor condo by the beach. He said it took about 20 minutes for the storm surge to destroy the boardwalk. A few restaurants, including one where Mr. Grant used to work, were simply “gone” (Wall of Water). Each area affected by a hurricane impact is situated differently and has its own unique challenges. Although Fort Myers and the surrounding areas have had the unfortunate positioning of being directly in line for these past storms, the foresight of future impacts give way to more robust storm prevention and organization.

Conclusion

For all high-impact areas of Florida’s Southwest Coast, stronger consideration of storm preparedness should always be present. Coastal natural barriers and landmarks prevent hurricane impact from reaching farther into the region, keeping recovery efforts from spreading thin, and lessening the area of impact of both storm and floodwater damage.

References

Fort Myers Beach Florida (2025) Hurricane Ian Recovery Resources. Fort Myers Beach / Estero Island. https://www.fortmyersbeachfl.gov/1251/Hurricane-Ian-Recovery-Resources

Mark Bickel, et al. (2025) Hurricane Milton one-year later. Fort Myers News-Press. https://www.news-press.com/story/news/2025/10/09/was-fort-myers-beach-impacted-by-hurricane-milton/86541657007/

Marcelle Fischler (2015) Rebuilding on a Barrier Island. The New York Times Company. https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=OVIC&u=gale15690&id=GALE%7CA410230121&v=2.1&it=r&sid=summon&aty=shibboleth

Isabelle Taft (2024) At a Barrier Island in Florida, Helene Brought ‘a Solid Wall of Water’. New York Times Company. https://www.proquest.com/docview/3110366700?_oafollow=false&accountid=10919&pq-origsite=summon&sourcetype=Blogs,%20Podcasts,%20&%20Websites

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By Greg Goldstein and Zachary Deserranno