CAPE CORAL, Fla. — The view of the Cape Coral Yacht Club, nearly four months after Hurricane Ian tore through it, is hard to see from the ground.
The tennis courts, the beach, the Boathouse Tiki Bar & Grill, the pool, the boat slips are all closed off as a fence keeps people out. Yet, the damage that our drone saw is clear as the work to recover from the storm is clear.
Dumpsters surround the Boathouse, the pool needs to be cleaned and trees are still toppled throughout the area.
In early November, the Cape Coral City Council approved grants for new restroom facilities and to expand the beach with the Lee County Tourist Development Council covering that cost.
The damage here also echoes the heavy damage from Ian all throughout southeast Cape Coral as some businesses up to Cape Coral Parkway still have not re-opened. The storm surge filled homes and businesses on the first floor up and down throughout the southern part of Cape Coral.
Just last week, Senator Rick Scott toured the yacht club to see the hurricane damage.
“We have a variety of issues that we deal with but this is very important,” Senator Scott told FOX4’s Calvin Lewis on January 19. The day before, Governor Ron DeSantis announced money for rebuilding beaches after the storm, including more than $23 million for Lee County beaches.
Mayor John Gunter said, while Scott was touring, that the timeline to reopen the yacht club is still uncertain, noting it was schedule for improvements after the Parks Go bond passed in 2018.
“We surely have a different element now that we have to address,” Gunter said last week. However, on Thursday morning the council’s retreat meeting at 9 a.m. will discuss “major projects and initiatives” before addressing the future of the yacht club.
