Sutherlin Nissan of Fort Myers expects to break ground next month on a 16-month teardown and complete rebuilding project.  

Sutherlin bought the south Fort Myers land, which had been an existing tractor store, in May 2000. Already owning the land meant a more affordable reconstruction budget, said General Manager Mike Spinazze. The project, to be built by Bonita Springs-based general contractor EnviroStruct, will cost about $15 million, he said.  

“It’s been way overdue,” Spinazze said. “Way overdue. We’re finally getting a facility that the employees and all the customers that we’ve earned over the years deserve.”  

The project will consist of three phases, with the first being building a new service center near the back of the property. The second phase will be a new showroom, and the third will be a teardown of the existing building.  

The current service center has 15 bays. The new one will have 42.  

The entire Nissan complex will measure about 62,700 square feet and will look like a luxury dealership, Spinazze said.  

“We’ve been in town for 25 years now,” he said. “We’ve been working out of this old Kelly Tractor building. It’s not the nicest facility, but there are some pretty nice people who work for us, and we have a lot of nice customers.   

“We’ll have a lot more frontage. A lot more room for cars. We’re looking to be the largest Nissan dealership in Florida and the largest used car retailer in the area.”  

The project could not arrive at a better time for Nissan, he said after returning from a corporate junket.  

“There’s going to be 13 facelifts and new models over the next two years,” Spinazze said. “All of this is happening at the right time. New dealership. New cars. It should be a shot in the arm for our business.”