FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. — Lee County commissioners have approved $3.86 million to repair and reconstruct four boardwalks damaged by Hurricane Ian, with $3.1 million allocated to Matanzas Pass Preserve on Fort Myers Beach.
Watch as Fort Myers Beach Community Correspondent, Anvar Ruziev, reports from the preserve entrance.
The preserve, which has been closed since Hurricane Ian, will receive nearly $3 million for reconstruction according to contract documents with Stokes Marine, the Fort Myers-based company chosen for the project.
"We bring our summer camp kids here, and there's friends of Matanza's Pass that would do tours, and it's all part of our little cultural facility here, we've got a historical society, marine science center, and then the friends of Matanza's pass," Joanne Semmer, president of Ostego Bay Foundation, said.
The other three parks included in the restoration project are Caloosahatchee Regional Park, Galt Preserve, and Royal Palm Park. The repairs are being funded through FEMA and state emergency grants.
County officials say the repairs are expected to start in the fall and will take a year to complete.
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