Nobody seems to have posted any comments since Irma went through there, so I really don't know. 25 years ago when the Boathouse was built, it was kind of a mucky area that had a certain aroma during low tide, but that lagoon has grown quite a bit and might not be anywhere near as bad as it once was.
Fwiw, I visited relatives staying at Tropical Sands Resort in Fort Myers Beach (diagonally across the street from Mariner's Boathouse) just last week. I went across Estero Blvd from TSR to walk the beach and to see how or if the shoreline had changed as a result of Hurricane Irma.
Frankly, I could see
no perceptible difference from a pre-Irma visit of a year ago (and several consecutive years prior), except that the "lagoon" water might now be a bit deeper, perhaps from storm surge. The total area / boundaries of the "lagoon" did not seem any different at all to me (and the lagoon certainly did not "stink", even at low tide). Mullet were periodically jumping, breaking the surface of the lagoon water and assorted shorebirds were feeding along the lagoon edges. The beach is still accessible (without touching any lagoon waters at all) from just past the Caribbean Beach Club property, which is right next door to Mariner's Boathouse.
A bigger issue on FMB is the multi-year water and sewer lines upgrade project moving in segments (from north to south). The northern part of FMB is currently very difficult to reach from the southern end with all the construction equipment, cones, lane diversions, etc. slowing down traffic (which is a very slow and very congested crawl in Snowbird season anyhow, even without any construction projects). All that ongoing construction can't be good for the businesses located in the current work areas on Estero Island. We refused to participate in that vehicle chaos and slow crawl; we deliberately limited our restaurant visits to places south of the Publix (which is located approximately mid-island).
I have no knowledge of the lagoon's status in long ago yesteryear, but long ago yesteryear is completely irrelevant today anyhow
. The "lagoon" certainly seemed very little different to me during my observations over each of the past few years when visiting relatives,
including when comparing its' size and appearance before and after last fall's Hurricane Irma.
