FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla — It’s tourist season… and it’s also comeback season on Fort Myers Beach
Another landmark resort, the Caribbean Beach Club, has finally reopened its doors after getting slammed by Hurricane Ian three years ago.
Fox 4’s Fort Myers Beach Community Correspondent Austin Schargorodski works on the island every day, and he knows how much it means to the community to see places like this come back. So he went to the resort to show you what’s new.
Watch to see the rebuilt Carribean Beach Club Resort and how long time guests reacted:
The resort’s board president Sarah McElwee walked him through the rebuilt timeshare. She showed off upgrades like the expanded pool deck and fully renovated rooms.
“People love it. I don’t blame them. I love it,” McElwee said, laughing.
Jodi Beebe has been visiting the resort for 35 years. She said that first step back into her room hit her hard. “I was like wow! We’re here! We’re home again!” Beebe said.
She said generations of her family spend every Thanksgiving there together, but they haven’t been able to for years.
“Just to be with the warmth of not only the sunshine, but the memories that were made within those walls that were destroyed but now they’re built back again, so, it’s incredible,” Beebe said.
And building back to this point took a lot of work - the first floor of the building was completely wiped out by Ian.
“The water came in, took out our pier, took out all the brush and everything, and came right in the pool. And then this building needed all the construction because the water broke through the sliding glass doors,” McElwee said.
McElwee said that building - half of the resort - was fully renovated. But even with all the upgrades, she said they made sure to preserve what people love about the place.
“Knowing that we were able to save our resort in a way that didn’t change it. Didn’t change the footprint, the look or the feel, except to refresh it and make it new again is a source of pride for all of us,” McElwee said.
Now, she says they’re hoping for a strong season.
“Just the thought as a board we can have a normal year in ’26 is just thrilling,” McElwee said.
