Out on Fort Myers Beach, the natives are defiant, seeking redress from a town government that’s become a bumbling farce, embroiling itself in a series of costly mistakes, betrayal and just plain dumb politics.
It seems this council has no intention of letting up, let alone apologizing for their ineptness, which has already cost thousands of their constituents higher insurance premiums. Not even an expression of contrition.
Images of carpetbaggers are emerging as this council of northern transplants ignore the long-fought struggle to maintain the island’s cherished ambience.
It began in the struggle to climb out of the ruins left by Hurricane Ian. The council picked a no-win fight with FEMA officials, ignoring their rules in flood zones for more than a year after the storm. It ended in costing 5,000 island property owners the loss of their flood insurance discount and putting the town on probation for two years, which could ultimately cost those residents loss of that federal flood insurance altogether.