Contractors say 40% of Fort Myers Beach renourishment complete; town seeks state and federal recovery funds

Contractors and town staff told the Fort Myers Beach Town Council on Jan. 21 that work to restore the island’s beaches after recent storms has completed roughly 40% of the most-critically eroded section and that the town is pursuing state and federal recovery funds to finish the program.

Michael Poff, the town’s project representative for beach recovery, said the work from Bowdage Point through the central business district and past the pier represents about 40% of the total volume the town intends to place. “It represents about 40% of the total volume going from Bowdage Point down to, around to south of Diamond Head,” Poff said.

Funding and scale: Poff and later comments from contractors and staff broke down funding the town has assembled to date. The presentation cited: approximately $14 million in state funding already allocated toward construction; an $8 million appropriation through the state…