COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. — The historic Everglades City Depot has been sitting in disrepair for years, and its owner says his biggest challenge has been getting people to care about saving it.
At 97 years old, the depot is hard to miss. Once a train station, the building now stands boarded up and at risk of being torn down. Owner Bill Odrey, who bought the property in 2014, says he put his life savings into the depot and has been fighting ever since to keep it standing.
WATCH TO SEE WHAT THE NEW PARTNERSHIP WILL BRING THE EVERGLADES CITY DEPOT
“I’ve gone to different historical societies, I’ve gone to different banks — for some reason they’re not interested in history,” Odrey said.
Odrey is now partnering with Removing the Barriers, a nonprofit focused on accessible tourism for people with disabilities. Together, they hope to turn the depot into an adaptive recreation center that could include equipment like adaptive kayaks and boats.
“The goal was always to get the depot going with a visitor center and food and beverages,” Odrey said. “But now adaptive recreation is coming first — because if this doesn’t work out, the building could be torn down for condos," he explained.
Support for the plan is already building. A Fort Myers company, Rocket Marine, recently donated a trailer to help launch the effort.
Bill Redmon, who leads Removing the Barriers, said the location of the historic depot is ideal.
“It’s on the water, it’s near trails, it’s near the largest national park in the lower 48,” Redmon said. “It’s an ideal place to create adventure and give people with disabilities something that works for them," he added.
Even Miss Wheelchair Florida 2025 came out in support. Her mother, Meridith Alexander, said projects like this bring hope.
“Our wish is that programs like this will help those with disabilities show the world what they are capable of achieving,” she said.
Odrey says he still needs about $800,000 to restore the depot but believes this partnership is the first step toward finally turning a corner. Without it, he fears the building could be lost forever.
