Boating and Ghost Restaurants of Fort Myers Beach


As head of the "Dead End Canal Yacht Club" entertainment committee I am always bombarded with request to find new and even more exciting Fort Myers Beach happy hour places. Now that the majority of our (regular and social) member have gone North, I am getting additional requests for restaurants that DON'T exist.

On Google search they can find 'ghost restaurants' like Hurricane Harry's that now is a cab stand at the foot of the sky bridge. It never opened despite remodeling the building to fit their motif which couldn't have been cheap. The previous owners had lava and mirrors on the ceiling and walls in the bar area. Not waterfront but the other two are.

Through the grapevine I understand that there was a development order granted for the property and the county of Lee wouldn't give them a Certificate of Occupancy (CO) until Harry built a motel. If this is true and I'm only quoting the grapevine so I'm not sure but if it is, wow. I've run up against bureaucracy before but this is one of the worst 'alleged' cases.

Just a mile away there is another 'Ghost Restaurant', the Boatyard Bar and Grille. On the water. Several sites search-able on Google have maps and 360 degree views of both those places. So why is this place haunted? It was a working boatyard that had applied for permits to improve the property by adding concrete raceways and dry stack racks. But they applied for a restaurant permit before all the boatyard work was completed and that confused the county, allegedly.

It would almost seem that these county employees work against us not for us. The zoning inspectors and permit issuers are appointed not elected so even though those alleged infractions against common sense have pretty much no appeal process. Sure these property owners should have done better due diligence but the permit issuers should have to disclose all the pitfalls the bizness' face.

One of the newest examples of ghostliness is the unopened Pelican Bay restaurant on San Carlos between the Smoke House and Get-away Marina. It isn't an official 'ghost' because no one has put a taxi stand or other unrelated biz in the parking lot but the buzz of optimistic work on this waterfront restaurant has come to a drop dead halt. Hundreds and hundreds of board feet of new pressure treated wood has replaced dock, deck boards and they are at least halfway into building a handicap ramp. This would be our best destination by boat. Shallow water all around but easily navigable with a little local knowledge. It used to be a restaurant so no big changes but...

I want to ask the county why but I'm afraid to go downtown and into that building again. I've been there, I've dealt with them and I've come away with most of what I wanted but the experience has left a deep scar on my psyche. It seems that anyone can apply for a development order on any property in Lee County without any proof that they own said property or have a lease on that property. Even if they never take possession of the property and never go forth with anything more than the application, the property is locked up in 'development hell! This I know for a fact. Thank goodness I had a pro-active landlord that could help us through the mess.

I will include a link to this blog in our next "Dead End Canal Yacht Club" monthly newsletter and update this blog when I find out why the Pelican has stopped work. Come back for updates.

Boatguy Ed (boatguiEd@aol.com) is a manufacturer of the worlds BEST anti-fouling bottom paint, www.supershipbottom.com. NEVER, EVER TRY TO BUY HIM A DRINK!

This column is meant for educational purposes only. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. Void where prohibited. Some assembly required. Do not read while operating a motor vehicle or heavy equipment.

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