Fort Myers Beach Pier Expansion Plans $17.1M Project, Hopeful to Reopen in 2028

Lee County officials have plans for a huge upgrade to the hurricane-damaged Fort Myers Beach Pier. The new pier will reach out 1,000 feet into the Gulf — making it 70% longer than the old one. At 12 feet wide, it'll give people plenty of space to walk around.

The potential $17.1 million project could take up to 36 months for the design and permitting and then up to 18 months for construction.

"I mean, we're not familiar with hurricanes, but after a couple of years, we kind of assumed things would be back to normal," Fort Myers Beach yearly visitor Jessica McDevitt told Gulf Coast News Now. "It was really cool, we loved to walk on it, bring the kids on it, you know, get a good view, hang out — it was a fun place," she added.

Before Ian hit, the pier was always busy. Robert Syzmanski, a regular visitor back then, recalls how it brought people from everywhere to the beach.

Lee County officials are hopeful to have the pier reopened by summer 2028.