CAPE CORAL, Fla. — Long-time Cape Coral resident Big John is in need of a new back after being slammed by Hurricane Ian.
If you are wondering, he’s the 28-foot statue off SE 47th Terrace in downtown Cape Coral, and he's been part of the community for half a century.
Elmer Tabor bought the shopping center back in 1990. Despite living through multiple hurricanes and a global pandemic, Tabor said after Ian, the big-man needed a big hand.
“[Hurricane Ian] kept twisting it enough that it broke the fiberglass strapping off of his steel structure blew his back out and shortened him about 15 feet,” said Tabor.
Big John has been in Cape Coral for more than 50 years, and Tabor said he will have to go across the country to get him fixed.
“The hillbilly in West Virginia, I'm the hillbilly of course that actually has Big John's original mold that came out of Cape Girardeau, Missouri... is where he was born,” said Tabor.
Tabor said in about two months, that mold will be used to fix Big John's back, for a price tag that sits around $32,000.
Tabor said it's Big John's reward for a half century of service.
