Rough times ahead: Hurricane Ian batters SW Florida economy
Hurricane Ian might have come and gone, but it has done long-term damage to the small businesses of a region heavily dependent on tourists and seasonal residents
FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — Hurricane Ian might have come and gone but it could deliver prolonged blows to the local economy, walloping small businesses heavily dependent on tourists and seasonal residents.
The scenes of destruction in southwestern Florida will keep many winter tourists and snowbirds away as well as tasking local residents with rebuilding for months or more, said Michael Maguire, a manager for a group of family-owned restaurants, including a couple on hard-hit Fort Myers Beach.
“It will not be the same,” Maguire said, standing outside the Pinchers seafood restaurant in the Fisherman's Wharf area of Fort Myers. “It could be months, it could be years. We don't know. People that live in the area are not going to be in shape to go to restaurants."
Ferocious gusts ripped off roofs, collapsed walls and jolted buildings off their foundations. Flooding — including tidal surges of more than a dozen feet — inundated shops, bars and restaurants. Fisherman’s Wharf, a heavily touristed area, turned into a dusty and surreal scene, with boats capsized far from their usual moorings. Dust and the rancid smell of hardening muck still fill the air.
