Fort Myers Right Now

Fort Myers Beach has marked the official groundbreaking for the replacement of the public pier destroyed by Hurricane Ian. Lee County owns the pier and hosted the ceremony at Crescent Park, turning a long-planned recovery project into an active construction effort. The pier is more than a fishing platform. Before Ian, it functioned as a landmark, visitor attraction and anchor for Times Square, so its loss affected both the island’s appearance and the businesses that benefited from foot traffic.

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SOURCES

• Fort Myers Beach Pier Rebuild Moves Into Construction Phase — Beach Talk Radio News — 2026-08-26
  https://beachtalkradionews.com/

Fort Myers Beach’s Audit Committee is scheduled to meet September fourteenth after a stretch of canceled meetings, putting the oversight panel back to work while the town examines questions about grants and project funding. The council also approved a waiver allowing Jim Dunlap to serve on the committee even though he already sits on the Local Planning Agency. The waiver was needed because town rules normally limit service on multiple boards.

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SOURCES

• Fort Myers Beach Audit Committee Sets September Meeting — Beach Talk Radio News — 2026-08-26
  https://beachtalkradionews.com/dunlap-appointed-to-audit-committee/

Deputy Town Manager Tracey Kohler is now serving as interim community development director for Fort Myers Beach while Frankie Kropacek remains on paid administrative leave. The temporary assignment gives Kohler responsibility for permitting and development operations in addition to her existing duties. Community Development is one of the town’s most important departments during hurricane recovery because it handles building permits, inspections and redevelopment projects. A leadership change can therefore affect contractors and property owners even when frontline staff remain in place.

Production note: Madison is an AI-generated host using a synthetic voice.

SOURCES

• Tracey Kohler Takes Over Fort Myers Beach Community Development — Beach Talk Radio News — 2026-08-26
  https://beachtalkradionews.com/kohler-takes-on-more-responsibiltiy/

Salty Sam’s Pirate Festival is returning to Fort Myers Beach on Saturday, September nineteenth, with activities scheduled from eleven in the morning until five in the afternoon. The date also falls on International Talk Like a Pirate Day. The festival is designed as a family event and adds another visitor draw to the island’s post-Ian event calendar. Large gatherings around the beach can increase parking demand and slow traffic across Matanzas Pass Bridge even for people who are not attending.

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SOURCES

• Salty Sam’s Pirate Festival Returns September 19 — Beach Talk Radio News — 2026-08-26
  https://beachtalkradionews.com/

Fort Myers Beach has canceled a planned two-hundred-thirty-two-thousand-five-hundred-dollar irrigation and sod project at Bay Oaks after officials discovered the park impact-fee account had only about thirty-six thousand dollars available. Mayor Dan Allers said the council had to “eat some crow” after earlier approving the deal based on incorrect funding information. The mistake is now part of the wider financial review that began after two town employees were placed on paid administrative leave.

Production note: Madison is an AI-generated host using a synthetic voice.

SOURCES

• Fort Myers Beach Cancels Bay Oaks Irrigation and Sod Deal — Beach Talk Radio News — 2026-08-26
  https://beachtalkradionews.com/we-have-to-sit-up-here-and-eat-some-crow/

Fort Myers Beach is reviewing a major new pool proposal for Bay Oaks that includes lap lanes two slides waterfalls and a separate children’s splash-pad pool with water cannons Opulent Pools presented the concept to the Town Council this week The plan also calls for a walking path shaded seating roughly ten to twelve tiki huts new pavers and an area for pets The design fee alone is one hundred thirty-five thousand dollars while the full construction cost has not yet been.

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SOURCES

• Bay Oaks Pool Proposal Includes Slides, Lap Lanes and Splash Pad — Beach Talk Radio News — 2026-08-26
  https://beachtalkradionews.com/bay-oaks-committee-to-see-new-pool-next/

Parents and community members are pushing for repairs to the football field at Dunbar High School in Fort Myers, saying the playing surface has deteriorated enough to raise safety concerns for students. School officials are assessing what work is needed. Field problems can involve drainage, uneven turf, worn areas or underlying soil, and the right repair depends on whether the issue can be corrected with maintenance or requires a larger reconstruction project.

Production note: Madison is an AI-generated host using a synthetic voice.

SOURCES

• Dunbar High Football Field Conditions Prompt Safety Review — ABC7 Southwest Florida — 2026-08-26
  https://www.abc-7.com/article/dunbar-high-school-football-field-condition-repair/73525809

The South Florida Water Management District has fined the developer behind the Seven Islands project in northwest Cape Coral for removing protected mangroves. The enforcement action adds an environmental issue to one of the city’s largest waterfront development plans. Mangroves are protected because they stabilize shorelines, provide fish and wildlife habitat and reduce storm impacts. Developers can sometimes receive permits for limited removal, but work outside an approved area can trigger fines and restoration requirements.

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SOURCES

• Seven Islands Developer Fined for Protected Mangrove Removal — Cape Coral Breeze — 2026-08-26
  https://www.capecoralbreeze.com/news/local-news/2026/08/26/fine-levied-for-mangrove-removal-for-development-at-seven-islands/

Glades County schools will hold a Day for Dolly on Friday to honor Dolly Parton’s life and her long connection to childhood literacy Students are being encouraged to wear bright colors read and take part in classroom activities tied to her legacy Parton’s Imagination Library became one of the most visible parts of her philanthropy by mailing books to young children at no cost to families That gives schools a natural education-focused way to remember her without turning the day into a.

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SOURCES

• Glades County Schools Plan Day for Dolly on Friday — ABC7 Southwest Florida — 2026-08-26
  https://www.abc-7.com/article/dolly-parton-glades-county-schools-reading-florida/73532076

Reports that federal immigration agents were using unmarked vehicles around Fort Myers hotels including the Luminary downtown have prompted concern and public backlash The attention centers on whether hotels are being used as staging or lodging locations during enforcement operations A hotel’s decision to rent rooms to federal employees is different from participating in an immigration operation Unless officials confirm a formal partnership the presence of agents at a property does not by itself show that hotel staff are helping identify or.

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SOURCES

• Reports of ICE Agents at Fort Myers Hotels Trigger Backlash — Gulf Coast News — 2026-08-26
  https://www.gulfcoastnewsnow.com/article/ice-hotel-luminary-fort-myers-lee-florida/73526968