Stevens Construction President Mark Stevens has presided over dozens of groundbreaking ceremonies, he said, but never one like this.
The Beach Bar, destroyed Sept. 28, 2022, by Hurricane Ian, broke ground Oct. 17 off I Street on Fort Myers Beach, just south of Lani Kai Island Resort.
While typical groundbreaking ceremonies have perhaps a couple dozen people on hand, this one had about 200 people: beachgoers, elected officials, design and construction teams and more. They all attended the event that included ceremonial sand, shovels and hard hats for a project that actually began several weeks ago.
Below all that sand were 34 pilings on top of which the foundation will be poured, Stevens said.
“Not that I want another storm, but if we have another storm, we’ll be ready if it happens again,” he said.
The ground floor will have the bar with bathrooms and coolers that can be removed on trailers and driven off the island and to higher ground in the event of a future hurricane.
Even the ground floors shutters would be removed, leaving open space.
“In case of another storm, the water can just flow right through,” Stevens said. “It’s a lot more hurricane resistant. Hurricane resistant materials. Roofing materials. Siding materials.”
Greg Boyd bought the quarter-acre property in December 2009 for $800,000, property records show. Boyd said he is self-financing and declined to disclose the construction costs.
After Ian, Boyd could not get eyes on the property until two days later, when he arrived at the scene of wooden planks scattered about the beach and only a few of the original pilings in place, he decided almost immediately to rebuild.
“It was a wooden building bult in 1965,” Boyd said of what he bought. The previous owner paid $1.7 million for it in 2005, just before the Great Recession. “It had a bar underneath and two apartments on top of it. A one-bedroom and a two-bedroom. The building was built as a bait shop and a package store with the two apartments. For a long time, we were the only ones who were allowed to consume alcohol on the beach in the sand.”
The new Beach Bar will be on the ground floor. About 20 feet up, the second floor will have two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a kitchen. The third floor will have two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a wet bar.
Boyd said he will operate either both floors or each floor separately as a one or two-unit weekly vacation rental.
Matt Faller will return as The Beach Bar co-manager.
“Cold beer, live music, toes in the stand,” Faller said. “That’s always been our business model and continues to be our business model. We can’t wait to get back in the building.”
Fort Myers Beach Mayor Dan Allers, Fort Myers Beach Chamber of Commerce President Jacki Liszak and outgoing Lee County Commissioner Ray Sandelli each addressed the crowd and thanked them for attending what was just the second post-Ian groundbreaking on Fort Myers Beach, following the Beached Whale restaurant and bar.
Stevens praised both Boyd and the beachgoing crowd for reviving a beachside tradition.
“I have never been to a groundbreaking with a crowd as enthusiastic as you guys,” Stevens said. “There was no question he wanted to build this back, not for him, but for you guys. We designed it to withstand both the water and the wind. It’s an exciting project for us.
“Greg, you truly are an inspiration that’s making this dream a reality.”
