Fort Myers Beach Demands Teardown of Empty Estero Boulevard Home After Multiple Permit Issues

Town officials ordered the demolition of an abandoned house at 8211 Estero Boulevard. The structure stands empty, still bearing scars from Hurricane Ian's wrath. The owners now face a strict 60-day deadline to act.

"It's gotten worse as it's gone along because every time there's a windstorm, the shingles blow off the house, the metal pieces blow off the house," said Philip Miglioratti, who lives next door, to WINK News.

The weather-beaten yellow structure sits in ruins. Its roof is torn, and the pool breeds mosquitoes. Next-door residents spot vermin scurrying through trash that spills into nearby waterways.

Officials marked the site unsafe last summer. Though the owner secured permits, they expired in December. A final extension ran out weeks later in January 2025.

After Ian struck, one investor about the Estero home and 10 other properties. Construction halted when Hurricanes Helene and Milton battered the coast. The buyer maintains a residence away from the beach.

"He did physically nothing there. He hasn't picked up a piece of garbage on the property... I don't know where to go," Miglioratti said at a town council meeting.

Mayor Dan Allers addressed a permitting loophole that allows owners to obtain a permit and then do nothing with it at a town hall meeting. Allers asked Town Attorney Nancy Stuparich. "We know people are doing it. They're coming in. They're getting a permit, and they're going to squat on that permit and not do anything until the permit expires."

When reached by phone, the owner told WINK News they intend to knock down the building by May 2025.

The beach town is also pushing to win back its FEMA flood insurance benefits. If successful, the probation could end by November, with the discount reinstated by April 2026.