Town of Fort Myers Beach, FL – The Town of Fort Myers Beach Sand Truck Haul Project has completed the 1st phase, filling in large swaths of Carlos Point Beach scoured out by the surge waters of Hurricane Ian. Home and Condo owners have voiced their praise of the restored beach to Town Staff in recent days. “The beach behind the condos looks amazing! It looks just like it did before Ian. It’s beautiful,” said Eddie Rood, a homeowner in the Grande Old Man neighborhood. Approximately 23,000 tons of beach sand has been placed on Carlos Point beach to restore Carlos Point Beach. “We hope this beach restoration helps lift everyone’s spirits,” stated Chadd Chustz, Environmental Project Manager for the Town.
The project started in earnest mid-February, hauling in thousands of tons of sand daily to meet the March 1st deadline set by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Joint Coastal Permit to protect shorebirds flocking to the area in the coming weeks to mate, lay eggs, nest and rear their fledglings. The southern tip of Estero Island is home to one of the most productive least tern, black skimmer rookeries in the State of Florida, which are listed as threatened species by the Florida Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). The area also hosts threatened solitary nesting snowy plovers and oyster catchers, making it one of the only areas to have all 4 state listed shorebirds nesting.
Trucks will continue to haul beach sand over the coming weeks to construct a sand berm to connect the berms on the 8000 and 7000 blocks of Estero Blvd for additional resiliency against future storms. Shorebird monitors are monitoring the project areas daily for any signs of shorebird nesting, in compliance with FWC shorebird biologist conditions for the project. A buffer for any potential nests located within work area will be delineated and roped off in cooperation with FWC Regional Shorebird Biologists to avoid disturbing the nesting shorebirds.
On September 28, 2022, Hurricane Ian made landfall on Estero Island and devastated the Town of Fort Myers Beach physically, economically, and emotionally. A 15-foot storm surge, accompanied by nearly 157 miles per hour winds, flooded and demolished buildings, homes, and infrastructure. Commercial establishments were obliterated, residents were forced to evacuate, and both lives and homes were tragically lost. Town leaders continue to work to recover the Fort Myers Beach Community.