Yariv Shaked didn’t have a crystal ball. If he did, maybe he wouldn’t have paid $18.6 million for Santini Marina Plaza shopping center on Fort Myers Beach less than a year before Hurricane Ian flooded it. And if he did, maybe he wouldn’t have fronted at least $3 million more from his own pocket to rebuild and reopen it after receiving a little more than $3 million from insurance payouts.

“Nobody knew,” Shaked said of Hurricane Ian’s devastation wrought Sept. 28, 2022. “If I had a crystal ball and I could see the future, maybe I would do things differently.”

Shaked, who was born in Israel, became a U.S. citizen and graduated from North Miami Beach Senior High School in 1988, purchased the shopping center at 7205 Estero Blvd., on the southern end of Fort Myers Beach, in December 2021 from WCSJR II Corp. The letters stand for the initials of William C. Steere Jr., a former CEO of pharmaceutical company Pfizer and a former co-owner of the shopping center.

Shaked did not realize that less than a year after making the purchase, about everything but the building’s foundations would be in ruins.

“I had never encountered anything like that before in my life,” said Shaked, who is also the director of operations for ESY Inc., a beach apparel wholesale company.

“I intended to fix [Santini Marina Plaza]. Maybe it would have been better to have taken it down and built it back, but it would have been a lot more money. Retail underneath or hotel on top. Something outside of the box. I didn’t look at that during that time. I just wanted to get up and running as soon as possible.”

As soon as possible dragged on for two years.

Two of the stores were set to reopen on the second anniversary of Hurricane Ian, but then Hurricane Helene hit followed by Hurricane Milton.

“Hopefully it doesn’t happen again in my lifetime,” Shaked said.

As 2025 gets under way, five of the shopping center’s 28 businesses have reopened and more are on the way.

The Islander Gift Gallery & Boutique, owned by Anita Cereceda, reopened first. Her store was followed by Leani’s Casual and Swimwear.

Surf Style and Island Liquor have followed, as well, plus Annette’s Beach Book Nook.

Up next: Ace Hardware has been permitted to begin its buildout.

Restaurants are on the way, as well.

“I can see the daylight,” Shaked said.

The restaurants will be a game changer, Cereceda said.

Sweet Licks ice cream shop is on the verge of reopening.

New York Pizza and Pasta, Over Easy Cafe, South Beach Grille and Bad Ass Coffee are also in the planning stages to reopen.

Shaked said social media chatter about the plodding pace of reopening Santini Marina Plaza bothers him at times, and Cereceda said she cannot blame him. She credited him with providing a helping hand to her and her neighboring businesses.

“I can say that I have actually enjoyed getting to know him,” Cereceda said of her business’ landlord. “I think that he is a person who — he’s a risk taker. But he’s smart. And I think he’s going to do well for Santini Plaza. He has stayed true to his word. That helped tremendously as somebody who was struggling to reopen their business. He was honestly very helpful to me. I’m really grateful for it. Aside from that, just getting to know him in the process was rewarding.”

Shaked isn’t the only one who got unlucky with his timing of his involvement with Santini Plaza.

Carrie Smith moved from Michigan to Fort Myers Beach in 2018 and became the third owner of Leani’s in 2019 — right before the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020. Leani’s has been a Fort Myers Beach staple since 1977.

“We’ve made it through COVID-19, and we’ve made it through Ian,” Smith said. “We all have had our struggles. All of Fort Myers Beach has had their struggles. Ian was really our Katrina.

“People will be talking about Hurricane Ian for 20 years. I think Anita and I were on the same wavelength. We tried to get open by the time of the second anniversary. But then Hurricane Helene hit. Then Milton hit. For us, it’s about being there consistently.”

Like Cereceda and Shaked, Smith has seen encouragement. Foot traffic to the shopping center is increasing, especially when there are special events, such as a farmers market. The beach’s St. Patrick’s Day parade will begin from the plaza, as well.

“We say tides are rising,” Smith said. “Businesses are sometimes like high tide and sometimes the tides are lowering.

“Everybody has a big weight on their shoulders to get back. That’s why things are so slow to come back on Fort Myers Beach.

“It’s an iconic location. When I’m done one day, I’m going to find someone else to stand in my shoes and carry it forward.”