FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. — Fort Myers Beach Elementary School remains closed following Hurricane Helene, despite the town announcing that FEMA has awarded over $11 million for the campus rebuild.
Watch as Fort Myers Beach Community Correspondent, Anvar Ruziev, speaks with parents outside the beach school:
Fort Myers Beach Elementary remains closed despite $11 million FEMA award
The Lee County School District clarified that the FEMA funding is not directly going toward reopening the beach school. Instead, what FEMA calls an “award” is actually an accounting credit to pay back a state loan that was used for repairs across the district, not specifically for the Fort Myers Beach campus.
The school district originally received FEMA acknowledgment for funding after Hurricane Ian. After spending approximately $6 million on repairs, the school did reopen — something parents had rallied hard to achieve…