Lee Commissioners vote to request using some BP/Deepwater Horizon recovery funds for pier

The Lee Board of County Commissioners voted to submit a request to use $7 million awarded following BP/Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in 2010 for the planned restoration and expansion of the Fort Myers Beach Pier.

The Fort Myers Beach Pier, an iconic tourist destination and recreational fishing asset, was destroyed by Hurricane Ian in 2022. While FEMA Public Assistance (PA) has approved funding to replace the pier, those funds are limited to reconstruction of the pier in its original configuration.

The community and Board have consistently expressed the desire to “build back better,” ensuring the new pier is safer, more resilient and designed to better support the tourism economy. The new pier will be longer, wider, more resilient and equipped with additional shade structures to enhance visitors’ experiences. Although the FEMA PA award has not yet been finalized, the shortfall between the final cost of construction and the amount of federal disaster assistance is currently estimated at about $6 million.

After the Gulf oil spill, Lee County was awarded funds under the RESTORE Act Spill Impact Component, administered through Florida’s State Expenditure Plan (SEP) managed by the Gulf Consortium. These funds are designated for projects that promote economic recovery, tourism, recreational fishing and community resilience in Gulf Coast communities.

If approved, the Fort Myers Beach Pier project would join the Northeast Caloosahatchee Tributaries Restoration project as eligible RESTORE Act funding recipients. NECTR was envisioned as a hydrologic and ecosystem restoration initiative centered on the Bob Janes Preserve. Since the time of the allocation, additional funding has been secured to advance restoration goals at the Bob Janes Preserve, including $2.5 million from the South Florida Water Management District.

For more information about the BP/Deepwater Horizon spill, go to https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/deepwater-horizon-bp-gulf-america-oil-spill.

For more information about the Gulf Consortium, go to https://www.gulfconsortium.org/.

To see renderings and track progress on the pier project, other hurricane repairs and Lee County Parks & Recreation projects, view the Parks Project Information Tool at www.leeparks.org.