Your inquiries keep coming on the Margaritaville that officially debuted last week, and this probably makes sense. Consider that Southwest Florida has never had such a significant national beachfront resort and entertainment destination of this magnitude land in the middle of a community, with this kind of timing.
Fully accessible to the public, a rarity, its $200 million arrival has come at such a vital moment in the region's history, 14 months after one of mankind's most costly hurricanes in the form of Ian. And there's nothing like it, developer Tom Torgerson told me.
"The Margaritaville brand is on fire. They're putting up tremendous resorts," Torgerson said, noting a second compound that opened last week in Lake Tahoe. "They don't do any cookie-cutter resorts. Every single one is different. (There) is so much to do here. So much variety. And it's not a repeat of sameness.
"If we have six restaurants, which I think we do ― it's hard to count them. I think we have more if you count all the food and beverage outlets, but it's not a sea of sameness. The decor, the environment, it's all different. The food is all different."
Here's some of what you asked and more, with answers to what you were wondering about the 7.3 acres and its massive occupant. Plus more on last week's key relaunch of CVS on Fort Myers Beach, which has had few pharmaceutical options since Hurricane Ian, and yet another resort that made its premiere nearby on Friday.
Reader question: 'What are the room rates' at Margaritaville?
That was among the questions by reader Pam Lipper and many others including Nancy Gurnitz.
"We have an introductory rate," Torgerson said, and that requires using the redeem code word of "Escape" on margaritavilleresorts.comfor stays in its254 roomsthrough Jan. 31, "It's under $200. It doesn't break $200. It's a golden opportunity for people to have a stay vacation that live down in Southwest Florida here or seasonally down here."
Without that special, the best rate we have found on the site for basic 300-square-foot digs was $367 including taxes for a large part of next year. Among the exceptions: Around New Years and Christmas 2024, costing $300 more or so, and in February, where you can expect to pay at least $50 higher under the structure Torgerson calls "dynamic pricing" that manages ebbs and flows of demand and adjusts prices accordingly. Usually, there's also a $30 resort fee and $35 plus tax for parking.
Reader asks: 'Are bars open to public' at FMB Margaritaville?
Reader Jeff Wudtke was among those who had this inquiry on a very popular topic and the restaurants, which Erin Lubich Ferencak and Jeff Thompson also had on their mind.And Cindy Marchio Groft took it further: "Are all areas open to the public or just people staying there?"
"A big part of the people that will spend time here and enjoy (are) day guests and evening guests. What I mean by that is that the entire Southwest Florida (community) is welcome (to) almost everything (here) without cost. We really encourage them to come and use the facility," Torgerson said. "We appeal to way more than just overnight resort guests, and I can't express that enough."
You asked: Cost of a day pass for Lee County's Margaritaville
"Are there going to be day passes?" Lee County resident Tracy McGarity Hadsock asked on a popular subject raised by, among others, Christina Lorah of Fort Myers and Cypress Lake grad Ron Wilson, who also wanted to know about the pool. Similarly, Port Charlotte resident Judy Gutowitz wondered, "How much is a day pass?" That echoes others, such as Stephanie Fouch-Weiss and Patrick Boviall.
There's at least a couple of passes that will be made available as soon as January, General Manager David Cesario tells me.
"The fitness center, we're going to do just like Planet Fitness — $10 if you just want to come and workout. That's just for the fitness center," Cesario said. "When the Fins Up Beach Club opens in mid-January, (you) are staying in the hotel, you will have access there. You can also buy a day pass here for the public. The least expensive, they'll be about $30, and the most expensive they'll be yet to be determined. It depends on the weekend. Part of it has to do with the entertainment in there, too."
What does Fins Up Beach Club include at Margaritaville?
At "9 a.m. is the soonest you can get to the pool, and we have to close when the sun goes down. We have to have enough time to clean, and get all that stuff done, and then at certain times of the year because of the turtle ordinance," Cesario said. "You buy a day pass to Fins Up Beach Club, you have access to the beach club. You have access to the beach chairs, and you have exclusive ― the thing that's exclusive at the hotel, the only thing, is Five O'Clock Somewhere.
"You have to be a hotel guest or buy a day pass to get into Five O'Clock Somewhere, and that's the pink building or coral, whatever you want to call it, that's right on the beach. That's the one that's delayed because our (adjacent) public restroom area that was a historic building, the Cigar Hut, was damaged and had to be taken down and rebuilt."
How large is the pool, and what's the seating like at Fins Up?
The 15,000-square-foot chlorinated pool will hold 365,000 gallons, said Cesario, who also talked about the depth: "If you build a new pool now, it's very hard to go more than 3.5 feet. An existing pool, that is grandfathered. With a new pool, it's rare. Not to be morbid, the drowning rate above 3.5 feet goes up dramatically."
But he was far from being done with the numbers. "We have our signature, brand new beach chairs and umbrellas. Live soundstage right in front. (The) Five O'Clock Somewhere has 60 bar stools. It's a massive bar," Cesario said, noting also a lot of additional seating for dining. "That's eight cabanas at the back of the pool, 540 lounge chairs out there at the pool. So there's 48 seats in the cabana. 540 seats around the pool, 144 restaurant seats and live music every day.
"We have live entertainment in three locations seven days a week. In Fins Up Beach Club, entertainment is going to be like 2 to 5 p.m. on the live soundstage. (After) that winds down, Lah De Dah Beach Bar is going to open. Probably the act will be like 7-10. And the License to Chill Terrace (often 5-8 p.m.) will probably be amplified acoustic. It's more subdued. You might see like live two, three-piece bands over on that side. It's License to Chill. We don't want the music to be too intense."
In the Know:Is it an aircraft carrier? Is it a cruise ship on land? No, it's SWFL's new Margaritaville
What anniversary did Fort Myers Beach Margaritaville hit?
"Dec. 14 is our nine-year anniversary since we put the first property under contract ― my partner and I, John Dammermann," Torgerson said, noting legal cases fighting the resort were part of delays. "Ian was really a tough hit towards the end, but the zoning process took a long time. (Then those suits) took two years to work through that. Then we had that little thing called COVID (as) we got out of the lawsuits at the time that we needed to finance the project and get it under construction.
"The financial markets looked at us like we had three eyes in our head. It's been a challenge to say the least but we did get it financed. We got it under construction on the (17th) anniversary of Hurricane Charley, which is what devastated this area in 2004, and caused the area, the town, to want to redevelop this area. So we got under construction on (the) anniversary and then in 2022, we all know what happened with Ian and so here we are."
What about future expansion for Margaritaville?
Earlier this year, Torgerson's TPI company, through an LLC, acquired Silver Sands Villas, the mangled remains of what's been known as the Beach's oldest hotel for $7.1 million. Located about 225 feet south of the border of Margaritaville, the hodgepodge of two dozen hotel rooms and cottages last sold for $1.1 million in 2001 and has been in existence sinceentrepreneur Tom Phillipsdeveloped the property in 1921.
"Well, now maybe we can get our mind into that now that we're getting this open," Torgerson said. "We took nine years to do this. It's not going to take nine years to do that. But we will be able to focus on that now. We're thinking an all-suites type of enhancement."
There were a lot more answers to your questions that we couldn't fit in here. Margaritaville, on its web site for the Beach location, has set up a Q&A spot to address what we asked and more.
What 3rd significant milestone did Fort Myers Beach hit?
As we first reported earlier this month, CVS was planning to reopen last week, and that became official at 7 a.m. Friday, its normal start time with an 11 p.m. close. Coming off Margaritaville and the Beach Elementary relaunch, that's three significant signs of progress within 10 days on Estero Island, which hasn't had a pharmacy since Ian. Located at 7001 Estero Blvd., it represents the first retail to resume on the south side of the recovering island, town officials said.
"Hurricane Ian left this place in a disastrous state," said Robert Schmidt, regional director for CVS. "The store was totally destroyed. Nothing in it. There was a car actually that made it into the building. (Restoration) gave us an opportunity to expand the pharmacy, (and) adding the consultation room onto it, updating the overall drive-thru."
About a half-dozen employees have returned, Schmidt said, and more potential workers can apply at the jobs.cvshealth.com site, where four positions are listed.
What other new nearby massive resort debuted on Friday?
Exceeding Margaritaville in scope although not Gulf-front, the harbor-front Sunseeker Resort in Charlotte County unlatched its doors Friday, featuring 785 rooms and at least 20 dining options and bars as part of more than $650 million in investment propelled by Allegiant Air's efforts.
"This level of private investment into a single hotel along the Southwest coast ofFloridais unprecedented to the area," saidMicah Richins, president of the 22-acre Sunseeker on U.S. 41, across the bridge from Punta Gorda. "Sunseeker Resort Charlotte Harbor will provide the region with a stellar array of hospitality and culinary experiences."
We checked its sunseekerresorts.com site for Tuesday night, and we found a Florida resident rate for about $250 plus tax. Once you hit February, it's about double.
After Ian:As Margaritaville debuts, another SW Florida resort puts finishing touches on its return
What's the new building near Collier Blvd. and Vanderbilt Beach Road?
Last year, nearby homeowners successfully fought against an apartment complex wedged on about 20 acres between Vanderbilt Beach Road and 7th Avenue Northwest, near the Collier Boulevard intersection.
Now, Collier County records show Mason Classical Academy has proposed a similar-sized campus in the same area to move K-8 students from its existing site at 3073 Horseshoe Drive, where some of the very same residents protested last week.
The idea of about 1,500 students getting dropped and picked up every day at a school with no buses around their neighborhood doesn't sit well with resident Richard Conover, who organized the demonstration. For Mason Classical, constructing 100,000 square feet would mean an upgrade from its current 70,000 square feet. County boards would get an opportunity to review the proposal next year.
Based at the Naples Daily News,Columnist Phil Fernandez(pfernandez@gannett.com) grew up in Southwest Florida and has ledPulitzer Prize-winning efforts. He writes In the Know, USA TODAY Network's most read local news column in the state. Support democracy.Subscribe to a newspaper.
