FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. — FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. — Fort Myers Beach Elementary School remains closed following Hurricane Helene, despite the town announcing that FEMA has awarded over $11 million for the campus rebuild.
Watch as Fort Myers Beach Community Correspondent, Anvar Ruziev, speaks with parents outside the beach school:
The Lee County School District clarified that the FEMA funding is not directly going toward reopening the beach school. Instead, what FEMA calls an "award" is actually an accounting credit to pay back a state loan that was used for repairs across the district, not specifically for the Fort Myers Beach campus.
The school district originally received FEMA acknowledgment for funding after Hurricane Ian. After spending approximately $6 million on repairs, the school did reopen — something parents had rallied hard to achieve.
"All the parents rallied together and really fought the fight to get the school back open the last time and then last year with Helene and Milton, it's back to square one unfortunately," said Devon Nourse, a Fort Myers Beach parent.
However, the campus was forced to close again after Hurricane Helene struck the area.
The town issued a press release Wednesday regarding the $11 million FEMA award, but the school district explained that the advance funding had already been spent on repairs throughout the district, not exclusively at the beach location.
For now, students must commute off the island to Heights Elementary while the district reviews the future of the Fort Myers Beach campus.
"It seems like this is going to continue repeating, it gets harder and harder to have kids on the beach, harder and harder to work on the beach, to own property on the beach, it's definitely a challenge," Nourse said.
The closure affects not only parents, but also students who attended the beach school.
"It was fun to be a part of that school and I hope it can reopen again," said Eimmy Marin, a former Fort Myers Beach Elementary student.
When asked which school she would prefer between her current school and the beach campus, Marin said she would choose "the beach school."
Local officials, including the mayor and vice mayor, said they are still working to gather more information about the school's status — information that both parents and students are eagerly awaiting.
The district says the future of the Fort Myers Beach Elementary campus remains under review.
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