DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS, Fla. — The Fort Myers Community Redevelopment Agency approved a new storm mitigation grant program offering up to $100,000 in reimbursements to help downtown businesses protect themselves from hurricane flooding, with five local businesses already receiving approval for funding.
Watch Fort Myers Community Correspondent Miyoshi Price's report:
The program, which reimburses 75% of eligible costs up to $100,000 per business, was created in response to repeated flooding damage from recent hurricanes including Ian, Helene and Milton that have devastated the downtown area.
"The mitigation grants are done to protect anybody in the CRA area that has been prone to flooding the last few hurricanes," said Fred Burson, chairman for Ward 5 on the CRA commission. "We are offering the businesses or residents reimbursement up to $100,000, 75% of the cost to barricade yourself in through some type of storm mitigation."
The program covers protective barriers, water management systems, structural reinforcement, generators and equipment to harden properties. Post-storm mitigation equipment like dehumidifying and drying equipment, debris cleanup tools, temporary power solutions and communication equipment are also eligible.
The CRA approved applications from five businesses during its recent meeting.
The Florida Repertory Theater received the maximum $100,000 grant for a comprehensive $133,000 flood mitigation plan. The theater, which has operated for 28 years, has been hit by three hurricanes in the last three years.
"During Ian, the water got up to here, right? It was really high. And during Helene and Milton, nowhere near that high, but still enough to flood the theater," said Chris Farrell, Executive Director of Florida Repertory Theater. "During Helene and Milton, we were still looking at a few hundred thousand bucks during Ian, it was a million bucks or more. And that takes a lot out of a non-profit performing arts organization."
The theater plans to install "tiger dams" along the sidewalk and "easy dams" in doorways, along with sump pumps and alternate power sources.
Ring Smith Day and Holland Law Firm on First Street received $5,566 toward $7,421 in costs for easy dam gate barriers as their initial mitigation effort.
City Tavern and Hogwash businesses on Bay Street and Dean Street were approved for $22,000 toward their $29,000 project for easy dam gate barriers.
Old Morgan Ltd., owner of the Dean building that includes apartments and the Love Grove Gallery, received $98,458 toward estimated costs of $131,829.
Ford's Garage LLC was approved for storm-resistant storefronts and barriers, with final costs pending additional estimates.
The program aims to minimize business disruption, accelerate recovery and safeguard the economic vitality of the downtown redevelopment area. Applications were distributed to all downtown businesses, with priority given to those demonstrating clear need, historic value or community benefit.
"We're just trying to protect the value of the downtown area," Burson said. "If we don't do something to protect it, people wouldn't want to be doing business down here, because they can't afford to continue to spend money every year repairing the storm damage."
The Florida Repertory Theater plans to conduct practice drills with the fire department and city engineers to test their mitigation systems before hurricane season.
"We are going to do a drill where the fire department is eager to come out, the city engineers are eager to come out," Farrell said. "And of course, we're theater, so it's not just the drill. It's a rehearsal."
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