FORT MYERS, Fla. — The memorial at Centennial Park in honor of the lives lost during Hurricane was removed.
When walking near the riverfront on the edge of the Caloosahatchee you will see an empty lot. The fence that was draped with photos, teddy bears, flowers, and surrounded by candles is now gone.
"This isn't something we wanted to do in a haste or quickly without thinking about it," said Liz Bello-Matthews, Fort Myers spokeswoman. "We wanted to find a way that we could sort of pay tribute to the memorial without necessarily keeping the items here because long-term that's something we couldn't do.”
The memorial was removed to allow the riverfront to go back to hosting festivals and events.
Bello-Matthews said this was a well-thought-out process. With the city trying to return to normal, they knew they had to find a way to memorialize the memorial in honor of the lives lost.
"We're going to be displaying some of the images of the memorial at various city buildings," Bello-Matthews said. "We took some very beautiful pictures of the memorial and what people were doing here, replenishing those flowers and those who were praying for these families."
66-year-old Mike Verdream was one of the victims memorialized on the wall.
His niece Stacy Verdream said their family is still grieving but as time passes, they are slowly finding peace.
"I just learned that the memorial had been removed today. I understand that the memorial is temporary and would eventually be removed," Verdream said. "It’s wonderful that the city will continue to honor all of the victims of the hurricane with a permanent memorial. I hope they will memorialize all of the victims in one place that we can visit."
Bello Matthews said that the city is happy and honored that Fort Myers was chosen as the location to pay tribute and the city plans to continue keeping the memory of the victims alive.
When it comes to the items that were on the fence, the city has them safe in storage. Bello-Matthews said the city will hold on to the items until February 1, 2023. If anyone wants to retrieve any of the items email parks@cityftmyers.com.
The photos are expected to be up in the next few weeks.
