Twin O/B Sonic

Great point, forgot about that.

When I moved there, my buddy and I played w/my handheld GPS to look at elevation.

My yard was 3’ above sea level and his was 6’!

Being from Ohio….., we thought finding higher ground my important, just in case.

We drove all over the Cape and found their fire department was 13’!

So we would me there, just in case 😎

Brad Christy

Wildman,

Elevation IS your "flood insurance", right?

Thanks. Brad.

tommymonza

I used to live up there in the mid 90s but now Naples again. I keep my trawler at a house just off the river in Bimini basin so drive up there weekly now .

Traffic isnt any worse than anywhere else right now but I take the Beach road up to there from Naples.Lately it’s like 12 months of season than 5 months of traffic accidents plus season.

I feel like I take my life in my hand anytime I get on 75 between Naples and Fort Myers as there is always stop and go traffic because the exits are clogged on which leads to accidents as people weave through it at 90 mph. I stay off 41 and avoid the 100 traffic lights in the 20 mile stretch.

And though the traffic is bad in Naples and Cape Coral it’s not insane like fort myers on 41.

My other boat is in a yard in Rotunda and the traffic is horrendous on the main roads also for being off season.

But traffic is bad everywhere down here since everyone moved after Covid .

We live about 2 miles from the beach in Naples in the center of town and my wife is 2 miles from work. It takes 20-30 minutes to come home on a 6 lane road.

This past summer heat has been brutal also and after 40 years we’re throwing in the towel and selling while the market is still good . It’s not that the summers are just hotter but they are sooo long now with the 90s starting in early April and not cooling off until late November right when all the bad traffic starts. .it’s been in this cycle for 6 years now as the Sea Breeze never cool’s anything off anymore.

I have my boat up in the yard working on it and I can work 15-20 minutes at best than need to go in the ac to prevent heat stroke no Joke folks.

Insurance insurance insurance . My wife has 15 years in it down here. Any home over 20 years old tough to find an underwriter and if you do obtain it prepare your self. Forget any flood zones . Cape Coral had flooding all the way to Santa Barbra and flood maps all over have been expanded since Ian.

If it was me and your sold on south Florida and had some real money to live on the water I would live in St Pete .

If not I would choose Port Charlotte hands down for sure as Manasota Key is beautiful with great water quality and a short drive by car for the bars out there. Also your closer to Sarasota and Tampa for events.

tommymonza

While we are on this subject up until a week ago I’ve been driving up fort myers beach weekly and it’s soo sad and dead. Hard to believe we are coming up on 2 years since the hurricane

I just don’t see it coming back other than with condos and after this recent flooding from this past little hurricane business will find it impossible to get insurance.

99% of the condos on the island are closed and are having massive improvements being done , ie hurricane windows and concrete porches being repaired or replaced so they can obtain insurance.

Mean while residents of them our homeless or not getting rent and have costly assessments .

Many businesses and buildings are still in a state of wreckage untouched since the hurricane even in the Square .

Lani Kai is still not open Only thing that is doing well is on the other side of the bridge at Bonita Bills and the Fish house .

Wildman_grafix

Our friends showed us the flooding from the last storm. Next time you are beach side take pictures, was wondering how it was going.

All condo's will suck, really will never be the way it used to be. I know Tim has not been able to get the races going again either.

105Fountain

We take boat to the few places Westin Ft Myers gulf of Mexico etc Still very nice rebuilding slow but getting there still can get double what we paid so why not!

tommymonza

Well for starters the drawbridge going over Big Carlos has been inoperative since Ian and now they have began to build an unsightly 70 foot tall bridge over it. Why they need to build a sailboat accessible bridge area through that pass that is rarely over 4 feet deep is beyond me. Must be a corps of engineers thing for intercoastal waterways.

From big Carlos north there is a lot of houses half wrecked that haven’t been touched since the hurricane as well as the old Holiday Inn that had the tiki bar and pool. Drapes still hanging through the broken windows. People living in trailers where their houses used to be and most likely not being rebuilt due to costs.

A lot of the mom and pop hotels are sitting wrecked or been demolished.

Just last month fort Myers issued a statement that owners had 30 days to demolish unrepairable structures or the properties will be liened .

Junkanoos is embroiled in an insurance battle and the big camp ground next door to it has been bought up for condo development.

Glad I got to enjoy it for almost 40 years and have had a many late nite drunken blasts at the old Cottage and the Beached Whale across the street as well as Top of the Mast. .

Used to be some great bars in the plaza on the se corner 20 years ago before Margarita ville bought and plowed it.

I don’t see margarita ville doing much business as there is nothing to visit on the beach anymore and zero traffic at night.

Hoodoo 2.0

Depressing. Here’s a few pic’s from one of the local runs.

Twin O/B Sonic

So sad!

The beach was my first, real, Fla vacation destination and I fell in love w/it!

Frequented sll the places mentioned.
Used to have killer Cuban sandwiches at the Beached Whale.

I lived in the Cape for Hurricane Charlie and rode my mountain bike through the Beach to survey damage and it was sad then!

I feel for all the business and property owners dealing with this!

tommymonza

It was just 20 years ago last week since Charlie, a bunch of us jumped in my boat the day after and rode on the outside to Captiva from Bonita . The houses on the beach in Sanibel that were damaged was endless than we got out to South Seas and couldn’t believe the destruction there as Charlie pretty much went right through there.

We lived on a golf course at the time and I can remember waking at dawn to look out the patio door at the incredible amount of debris flying by at 100 mph.

Funny you mentioned the Cuban, I don’t think me and the girlfriend ever ate anything else at the Whale and always had to get there before 10.

About the only funky old beach I know of anymore is Bradenton .