Future of Fort Myers/Sanibel Resorts

[GTLINZ]

We drove up Estero island late last year and it still looked like a war zone. It is going to be a long recovery.

 

[Skyyblueplaya]

Unfortunately Still waiting for a lot of these places to bounce back, even more damage from the last 2 hurricanes, Milton and Helene.

 

[theo]

Estero Island Beach Club's latest submission for proposed reconstruction has been denied (yesterday) by the Town Council on Fort Myers Beach by a 4-1 vote, killing their newest proposal from any further advancement. This newest proposal, albeit aesthetically very pleasing, was for a 10 story building where zoning allows for only 3 stories. This new proposal never really had a snowball's chance in Hades for town approval at that height (IMnsHO).

EIBC can return to submit an entirely different proposal, but I personally just can't see how they can successfully pound a "square peg" (...replacing all 75 units lost, plus providing pool(s) and parking) into a round hole (...a much smaller available footprint now than existed for construction before Hurricane Ian) while still complying with new height restrictions; clearly a gargantuan (and maybe ultimately insurmountable) task.

I'm not a gambler. If I was, my bet would be on EIBC owners ultimately throwing in the towel on this, voting to terminate the timeshare plan and sell the property (which is currently nothing but a vacant lot of sand after post-Ian demolition). Two more hurricanes in recent weeks (Helene and Milton) might also be providing some "food for thought" to some owners of FMB Gulf-front property, on a narrow barrier island that has now been hit hard by 3 significant hurricanes in just the past 2 years.

I guess only time will tell...

 

[dioxide45]

(...a much smaller available footprint now than existed for construction before Hurricane Ian).

Why is the footprint smaller now? Was some of the land washed away?

 

[theo]

There are several reasons for the "smaller footprint":

1. New town bylaws / regulations now require that there be more distance from the water to new structures than was formerly required.

2. New town bylaws / regulations now also require a “view corridor“ from the main drag (Estero Blvd) to the Gulf, precluding any new construction from entirely obscuring “visual access“ to the water from the main road.

3. I am unclear on details of this third item, but I believe there may also be some new “setback” distance requirements from Estero Blvd for new building construction.

Collectively, these new town mandates obviously “shrink” the buildable area of Gulf-front lots on Fort Myers Beach. Combined with new height standards (3 stories max), some damaged or destroyed FMB properties now find themselves squarely “between a rock and a hard place” regarding rebuilding options; EIBC is clearly among them. Nearby Lahaina Inn, also (...formerly) a Gulf-front timeshare property on FMB, threw in the towel immediately after Hurricane Ian in 2022, with interval owners there promptly and overwhelmingly voting to terminate the timeshare and just sell the sand parcel on which it once existed; I do not know if that parcel has actually been sold since then.

 

[theo]

The Ian-destroyed and subsequently demolished Estero Island Beach Club (75 units) has now submitted its' third rebuilding proposal (4 stories) to the town of Fort Myers Beach. The FMB Town Council readily approved a 17 story structure for a huge, brand new, commercial project by an outfit called Seagate. Although I do not own at EIBC and have "no dog in that fight", I hope that EIBC will take the town of FMB straight to court if the town rejects the newest (reasonable and quite attractive, imo) EIBC proposal.

 

[dioxide45]

Unfortunately it all seems to be based on who has deep pockets and the right connections. Deep pockets can also get you the right connections.

 

[theo]

Unfortunately it all seems to be based on who has deep pockets and the right connections. Deep pockets can also get you the right connections.

Understood and agreed. The real irony in the EIBC situation is that in / around 1995, when EIBC had already existed for years, Fort Myers Beach first became incorporated, doing so in order to cease being a powerless island appendage in Lee County. The motivation behind that undertaking to incorporate and become its’ own town was specifically to establish local control over future high rise development. The newly incorporated town created a local Land Development Code and a Comprehensive Plan for their little island town, implementing new and specific density and height restrictions. However, in the post-Ian environment, the FMB Town Council is now apparently willing to just subjectively and selectively ignore their own long ago and very deliberately established town requirements regarding high rise development.

Although it should be unnecessary (in an ideal world) and would surely be costly to pursue, the EIBC owners can (and perhaps should) next choose to appeal to the courts if rejected a third time, seeking nothing less than a court order forcing the town to simply honor ITS’ OWN existing codes and bylaws and finally allow EIBC to rebuild. If EIBC chooses instead to just throw in the towel and not further pursue rebuilding, the final irony / insult will be the purchase of the EIBC land for big money by a deep pockets commercial developer — to pursue construction of another unwelcome high rise!

 

[theo]

On May 13, 2025 the Local Planning Agency (LPA) on Fort Myers Beach (finally) approved the most recent (and third proposal) by Estero Island Beach Club to rebuild its’ 75 unit timeshare property, destroyed by Hurricane Ian in 2022. However, this approval is only a precursor to submission of the plan to the FMB Town Council, which actually has the final word. If the Town Council approves the new proposal, EIBC owners will then have to agree by internal vote to approve the design (and the cost) of reconstruction and obtain financing for the project, as insurance money from the destroyed old property will represent only a fraction of the actual cost to rebuild anew “from scratch”.

 

[andre10056]

On May 13, 2025 the Local Planning Agency (LPA) on Fort Myers Beach approved the most recent (and the third proposal) by Estero Island Beach Club to rebuild its’ 75 unit timeshare property, destroyed by Hurricane Ian in 2022. However, this approval is only a precursor to submission of the plan to the FMB Town Council, which actually has the final word. If the Town Council approves the new proposal, EIBC owners will then have to agree by internal vote to approve the design (and the cost) of reconstruction and obtain financing for the project, as insurance money from the destroyed old property will clearly represent only a fraction of the actual cost to rebuild anew “from scratch”.

I truly feel sorry for the owners at the Estero Island Beach Club. What a nightmare for them. Of course, they haven't been able to visit the resort since Hurricane Ian, and I wonder if they still had to pay their maintenance fees during the past few years (since, as owners, they're obligated to pay the operating expenses of the resort, including any managers'/employees' payroll).

But I wonder why there's such relentless effort to rebuild. After all, as you stated above:

If EIBC chooses instead to just throw in the towel and not further pursue rebuilding, the final irony / insult will be the purchase of the EIBC land for big money by a deep pockets commercial developer — to pursue construction of another unwelcome high rise!

Seems to me that distributing the "big money" is preferable to paying enormous special assessments to rebuild. What am I missing?

 

[theo]

Seems to me that distributing the "big money" is preferable to paying enormous special assessments to rebuild. What am I missing?

Having never owned at EIBC, I cannot speak to “what you are missing” or to the mindset of EIBC owners. The few people I know casually who own intervals there clearly want to rebuild what they lost to Hurricane Ian — not just sell out and cash in (as the owners at similarly destroyed nearby Lahaina Inn promptly chose to do after Hurricane Ian). Whether or not the FMB Town Council and / or the actual (TBD) EIBC reconstruction costs will ultimately allow EIBC rebuilding to occur at all still remains to be seen.

P.S. There are no significant operating, manager, payroll or utilities expenses at the vacant EIBC parcel; EIBC was completely destroyed by Ian and subsequently demolished. There are about 2,200 unit / weeks at EIBC; that's a lot of individual ownerships among which to spread a future special assessment. I believe that mf’s have indeed been collected annually at EIBC since Ian, presumably paying for property taxes and *architectural design costs (*three separate times now), with any "excess" funds presumably being banked for future use or for later re-distribution to EIBC owners in good standing, if a reconstruction does not succeed in moving forward.

 

[theo]

Estero Island Beach Club has now (after its' third submitted design proposal) received final approval from the Fort Myers Beach Town Council to rebuild.
Steps still ahead include obtaining reconstruction cost estimates, owners approving the plan by vote, obtaining the financing required to rebuild, hiring a reconstruction contractor and, last but not least, determination of the inevitable “special assessment” figures for which interval owners will be responsible for each deeded week owned.

Island Towers, another timeshare property on Fort Myers Beach, has now reopened, having now successfully completed their rebuild.

The status of Mariners Boat House on FMB remains something of a mystery. Little or nothing seems to have been done there to date since Hurricane Ian, beyond fencing in the damaged property.

 

[andre10056]

Estero Island Beach Club has now (after its' third submitted design proposal) received final approval from the Fort Myers Beach Town Council to rebuild.
Steps still ahead include obtaining reconstruction cost estimates, owners approving the plan by vote, obtaining the financing required to rebuild, hiring a reconstruction contractor and, last but not least, determination of the inevitable “special assessment” figures for which interval owners will be responsible for each deeded week owned.

Island Towers, another timeshare property on Fort Myers Beach, has now reopened, having now successfully completed their rebuild.

The status of Mariners Boat House on FMB remains something of a mystery. Little or nothing seems to have been done there since Hurricane Ian, beyond fencing in the damaged property.

From my perspective, if the timeshare resort was still standing and just needed repair/rebuilding of some small percentage of the resort, OK, keep marching on. That's what Caribbean Beach Club did as they just needed to rebuild their relatively small South building which is now ongoing and which will result in the entire resort being 100% operational. But to do a complete rebuild of an entire resort?

Seems to me that the underlying assumption is that past massive destruction can never again recur. And yet, far more likely is that a barrier island in a warming water Gulf will be increasingly vulnerable to destruction. That sucks, but that's reality, not "hide your head in the sand" wishful thinking.

Let's see what this year's hurricane season looks like, much less all the years to come.

 

[andre10056]

The interesting thing about rebuilding in Fort Myers Beach is that we already have a historical precedent that may guide us in making optimal decisions. There are significant portions of Monroe County, Florida (better knows as "the Keys") that had been getting continuously flooded over recent years. Finally, the powers that be declared that properties in those areas could not be rebuilt, and the land should be returned to nature. The state of Florida was thereafter supposed to buy everyone's real estate. Last I heard, the people were still waiting (after multiple years!) in their moldy homes to get their buyout.

Already, many businesses in Fort Myers Beach have abandoned the city, setting up shop elsewhere. Timeshare updates inform people that this beloved breakfast restaurant or that handy store is no more. Yes, beach apparel places have returned as of course that type of business will not thrive inland. But many other business owners are effectively voting for "the land should be returned to nature" or, at least, "I'm not putting any more of my money at risk in Fort Myers Beach".

So I'm not sure that Estero Island Beach Club has made an optimal decision on behalf of its owners. I would have sold while others may still be inclined, for the time being, to engage in wishful thinking.

 

[theo]

I agree with many (but not all) of your above expressed observations. I would however point out that new construction, under FEMA rules, now requires a base elevation of 12-15 feet above ground level, so vulnerability (at least to future storm surge) would thereby be considerably reduced for those willing to roll the dice and rebuild to those new codes, as numerous private property owners on FMB have already done or are currently doing (...wisely or not).

Looking at it from the perspective of cost vs. benefit, to rebuild EIBC from scratch is surely going to cost a small fortune (if the EIBC owners actually vote to rebuild at all after they learn the harsh reality of actual rebuilding costs, still TBD). Personally, I would be completely unwilling to pony up multiple thousands of dollars in special assessments alone for mere ownership of week-long timeshare intervals at any such hurricane-vulnerable property location, but that is a personal choice and decision to be made by those actually having "skin in the game” at EIBC --- which I do not.

 

[Laurie]

The status of Mariners Boat House on FMB remains something of a mystery. Little or nothing seems to have been done there to date since Hurricane Ian, beyond fencing in the damaged property.

I think I read they hadn't gotten certain permits and then were running out of money, so suspended activity.

Too bad because we liked our exchange there enough that we confirmed a second exchange, something we rarely do, which was then cancelled because of Ian. That little lagoon right in front was wonderful because it filled up with beautiful birds every day. I think the topography has probably changed now.

 

[theo]

I think I read they hadn't gotten certain permits and then were running out of money, so suspended activity.

Too bad because we liked our exchange there enough that we confirmed a second exchange, something we rarely do, which was then cancelled because of Ian. That little lagoon right in front was wonderful because it filled up with beautiful birds every day. I think the topography has probably changed now.

When I checked out Mariner’s while staying in the FMB area back in mid to late March, 2025, I saw no visible evidence of any post-Ian activity of any kind there (besides enclosure of the property by fencing), let alone any indication of “suspended” activity. I remember thinking that Mariner’s (when last I knew, anyhow) was VRI-managed and I wondered to myself if the May 2022 Capital Vacations acquisition of VRI could possibly be somehow related to the stunning absence of any meaningful repair activity at Mariners since Hurricane Ian’s (late September 2022) occurrence. Call me a cynic, but I certainly would not put it past Capital Vacations to subtly engineer a “deedback” situation for their own future purposes and to their own financial benefit, perhaps later offering to magnanimously “rescue” and “release” Mariners interval owners from their obligations (and their deeds) at a severely damaged, unrepaired, but very valuable Gulf-front property / parcel. Just sharing a personal thought of baseless conjecture, not offered as an evidence-based accusation of any sort.

In regard to that (now former) lagoon, the extensive “beach renourishment” project on FMB appears to have eliminated it. There is a greatly expanded beach in that area now, with no trace of that lagoon having ever existed there at all, surely to the confusion of the many shorebirds that frequented that lagoon in bygone days. Sad, but true.

 

[andre10056]

When I checked out Mariner’s while staying in the FMB area back in mid to late March, 2025, I saw no visible evidence of any post-Ian activity of any kind there (besides enclosure of the property by fencing), let alone any indication of “suspended” activity. I remember thinking that Mariner’s (when last I knew, anyhow) was VRI-managed and I wondered to myself if the May 2022 Capital Vacations acquisition of VRI could possibly be somehow related to the stunning absence of any meaningful repair activity at Mariners since Hurricane Ian’s (late September 2022) occurrence. Call me a cynic, but I certainly would not put it past Capital Vacations to subtly engineer a “deedback” situation for their own future purposes and to their own financial benefit, perhaps later offering to magnanimously “rescue” and “release” Mariners interval owners from their obligations (and deeds) at a severely damaged, unrepaired, but very valuable Gulf-front property / parcel. Just sharing a personal thought of baseless conjecture, not offered as an evidence-based accusation of any sort.

In regard to that (now former) lagoon, the extensive “beach renourishment” project on FMB may have essentially eliminated it. There is just a greatly expanded flat “beach” in that particular spot now, with no trace of that lagoon having ever existed there at all — surely to the confusion of the many shorebirds that frequented that lagoon in bygone days.

The remarkable thing about Mariner's Boathouse is that a March 2025 newscast about it shows it from street level as well as birdseye level (i.e., via drone) and it looks really good. The roof looks new, the building seems at first glance to be undamaged, at least from its "away from the Gulf" side. In any case, none of the building seems to be washed away and it is up on "stilts" to a certain extent. So what's the problem with scheduling a repair? According to the newscast, they don't have the money as expected insurance proceeds have not been forthcoming.

Fort Myers Beach timeshare owners await answers on delayed repairs

Two and a half years after Hurricane Ian, timeshare owners at Mariners Boathouse and Windward Passage Resort on Fort Myers Beach are still unable to access their properties.

www.winknews.com

Whew! Two and half years, soon to be three years, and counting, and all timeshare owners have gotten over the past three years are maintenance fee bills.

If the building was indeed severely damaged, it must have been damaged by not only storm surge but also significant hurricane wind and rain damage. And new building code requirements for building 12 to 15 feet above ground level ain't stopping dat wind.

Windward Passage is another Fort Myers Beach timeshare resort that is still closed with no end in sight. If there's any gulf front building in Fort Myers Beach that I would have thought would be relatively undamaged by Ian it would have been Windward Passage. (I used to own there and used the onsite sales office to sell for three times what I paid....and I listed it while I was there and they sold it same day). It had and no doubt still has the biggest concrete supporting columns that I had ever seen. Massive. As I recall, six people linking hands around it could not have completely surrounded those columns. And the huge ten floor (or whatever number of floors) building rested above those massive columns.

How, I wonder, can that still be shut down? What could have happened to it? But, again, it probably wasn't "just" the storm surge but also the wind and rain. But I would think the latter damage could be easily fixable.

So, Theo, when you're talking about "tens of thousands of dollars" as being potential costs PER OWNER to rebuild the Estero Beach Club, that makes no sense for those owners. They can buy 100% operational Fort Myers Beach timeshare units in the smaller single digit hundreds of dollars on ebay, as did I. And as anyone can with today's listing of a Seawatch on the Beach ebay listing:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/317003699861?_skw=fort+myers+beach&itmmeta=01JY2WC1JN2JN3CFT4ADBQCAAD&hash=item49cee49695:g:8qkAAOSwFVxnzx-w&itmprp=enc:AQAKAAAA0FkggFvd1GGDu0w3yXCmi1eai2xRVEYDEbqeJy1xCgV+lfTPLMpwLcnSuZMG17jTJMiV0f6Wpu5Z6h4kHFRW3EXFh5VZZsnYFUw15twTzKpLox85qc4eMAxefFnmUxqojDdGVw6iWMIniOuITGchzIkegVhTjw07fXlvdK4mrOsiBj9i7pbPTWxzQzsCylv7pLU1rApL6T9zlAHsYKjFB1L3zyw1qrGbgAp1z0AHr1J84mFMlHdvLNRk3327RSUEVLG+RtWY1JRwQNSSWwYIpZc=|tkp:Bk9SR7iZsNzwZQ

The above availability is also shown as a sales listing on Redweek.

In my opinion, the Board of Directors has just wasted everyone's time and money by embarking on a rebuilding plan.

 

[theo]

Deleted inadvertent duplicate post here; the same content is in post #95 directly below. My error, sorry.

 

[theo]

Coincidence or not, both unrepaired and still closed Windward Passage and unrepaired and still closed Mariners Boat House on FMB are VRI-managed properties.

Insurance payments have been a post-Ian issue for virtually everyone on Fort Myers Beach, yet numerous FMB timeshare properties (...those not managed by VRI) have been able to get repaired and reopened, including Tropical Sands Resort, Island Towers (the latter of those two, like Mariners, is Gulf front), Bel Air Beach Club, Caribbean Beach Club (both of which are Gulf front). Kahlua Beach Club, also Gulf front, is not yet open but is actively under repair and on its’ way toward reopening.

Lahaina Inn and Estero Island Beach Club were both completely destroyed by Hurricane Ian. Of all the surviving timeshare properties on FMB, only two remain unrepaired and nowhere near reopening — and both of them are VRI-managed. Add to that list VRI-managed Bonita Resort, located just south of FMB in Bonita Beach and also nowhere close to being fully repaired and / or reopened.

I am well aware that a contracted timeshare management company is not solely (or even primarily) responsible for initiating post-hurricane reconstruction and insurance claim matters. All of the above named resorts are independent (non-"chain") resorts with their owner controlled Boards having the lead responsibility in those particular matters. However, with VRI being the common element at every one of those three still unrepaired timeshare properties in the FMB area, I find it very hard to view that fact as mere “coincidence”. I tend not to believe in coincidences...

Capital Vacations acquired VRI in May 2022. Hurricane Ian struck in September 2022. All three VRI-managed timeshare properties in the FMB area damaged by Ian in September 2022 are today the only timeshare properties in the FMB area to still be nowhere close to being sufficiently repaired and / or reopened — nearly 3 years later.

Puzzling…..to say the least.

 

[andre10056]

Coincidence or not, BOTH Windward Passage and Mariners Boat House on FMB are VRI-managed properties.

Insurance payments have been a post-Ian issue for virtually everyone on Fort Myers Beach, yet numerous timeshare properties (all of them NOT VRI managed) have somehow managed to get themselves repaired and reopened (Tropical Sands Resort, Island Towers (which, like Mariners, is also Gulf front), Bel Aire Beach Club, Caribbean Beach Club, both also Gulf front). Kailua Beach Club, also Gulf front, while not yet open, is currently under repair and well on its’ way toward reopening.

In short, the only two FMB timeshare properties still standing at all (unlike the now departed Lahaina Inn or Estero Island Beach Club) that are still nowhere near being repaired or reopened are both VRI-managed properties. Add to that list VRI-managed Bonita Resort, located just south of FMB in Bonita Beach and also nowhere close to being repaired or reopened.

I am well aware that a contracted timeshare management company is not solely or even primarily responsible for post-hurricane reconstruction or insurance claim matters. I also tend not to believe in coincidences….

Capital Vacations acquired VRI in May 2022. Hurricane Ian struck in September 2022. The three VRI-managed timeshare properties in the FMB area damaged by Ian in September 2022 are today the ONLY timeshare properties in the immediate FMB area to still be nowhere near repaired or reopened — approaching three years later. Curious…..at best.

At first glance, the fact that VRI manages all three properties that have yet to begin repairs/renovations looks very bad, very suspicious.

The problem is that, if VRI were doing something fraudulent to make timeshare owners believe that their best course of action might be a deedback to VRI (their belief having been engineered by VRI lies), why would the Board of Directors go along with that? Of course, the BOD might theoretically be similarly corrupt and might have been offered some significant renumeration for going along with the fraud.

That might be true for one BOD, which of course, involves multiple officers, but THREE sets of corrupt BOD members? Or even three sets of clueless, gullible BOD members who are unable to think independently and therefore believe everything they're told by VRI? Seems less and less likely given the number of people involved.

But I agree with you that I don't believe in coincidences. So what might have happened?

I believe that it's within the realm of possibility that management company VRI mismanaged all three resorts' insurance coverage so they were NOT covered for what occurred during Ian.

Or , alternatively, VRI had the right coverage, the perfect coverage for what happened. But the insurance provider, facing an enormous number of Ian-related claims, became insolvent and declared bankruptcy.

That might explain why VRI-managed properties all received inadequate insurance payouts.

 

[theo]

I believe that it's within the realm of possibility that management company VRI mismanaged all three resorts' insurance coverage so they were NOT covered for what occurred during Ian.

I agree that this situation may simply be one of inadequate insurance coverage and / or payments. I do not believe for one moment that it is a matter of Board “corruption” — times three. I have actually known (admittedly only casually) the Board President at one of those three properties for a number of years now and I believe that person’s integrity to be above reproach.

That said, I am also aware that at least two of the three (maybe all three; I’m not sure) of those above named VRI-managed resorts have changed insurers in the past year. I believe that the former company (Armstrong) and the new company (Marsh McLellan) are both alive and well and solvent today, so the unexplained repair delays may just be a matter of all of those VRI resorts having been under-insured and / or having to do battle with an overly tight-fisted claims payment process. In any case, the paltry level of repair progress at all three of those VRI-managed properties (after nearly three years now) is certainly very difficult to comprehend from the outside looking in.

 

[andre10056]

Llllll

I agree that this situation may simply be one of inadequate insurance coverage and / or payments. I do not believe for one moment that it is a matter of Board incompetence or corruption — times three. I have actually known (admittedly only casually) the Board President at one of those 3 properties for a number of years now and I believe that person’s integrity to be above reproach.

That said, I am also aware that at least two of the three (and possibly all three; I’m not certain) of those named VRI-managed resorts have changed insurers within the past year. I believe that the former company (Armstrong) and the new company (Marsh McLellan) are both alive and well and solvent today, so it may just be a matter of those VRI resorts having been under-insured and / or dealing with an overly tight-fisted claims payment process. In any case, the paltry level of repair progress at all three VRI properties after nearly three years now is certainly very difficult to comprehend from the outside looking in.

It is for sure "difficult to comprehend".

Even if everyone has done everything to the best of their abilities on behalf of timeshare owners when it comes to insurance, trying to arrange for permits, repairs, renovations, etc., etc., etc., why not simply submit for owners' consideration a possible special assessment plan? Windward Passage must have had at least a hundred units. Mariners Boathouse has quite a few units as well. 100 times $1000 times 52 weeks would equal $5.2 MILLION dollars. I haven't seen any pictures of Windward Passage nowadays, but that newscast made it appear to me that Mariners Boathouse could have been fully repaired/renovated/refurbished for quite a bit less than millions.

And why not keep timeshare owners fully informed? That newscast interviewed one Mariners Boathouse owner who appeared to say that the only correspondence owners got was in November 2023 and November 2024, both times painting a rosy picture of rebuilding efforts while simultaneously billing for the the next year's maintenance fees. At the very least, it appears there has been an information blackout during a time when there should have been constant updates.

One of the aspects of timeshare ownership that I least like is that very few resorts have a means by which timeshare management and owners can communicate with each other 24/7. How hard is it to set up a resort page for "owners only" on groups.io (groups DOT io)?

At the very least, then , even if VRI and the Boards of Directors are not engaging in fraud, they've certainly been negligent in their lack of communication.

 

[theo]

It is for sure "difficult to comprehend".

Even if everyone has done everything to the best of their abilities on behalf of timeshare owners when it comes to insurance, trying to arrange for permits, repairs, renovations, etc., etc., etc., why not simply submit for owners' consideration a possible special assessment plan? Windward Passage must have had at least a hundred units. Mariners Boathouse has quite a few units as well. 100 times $1000 times 52 weeks would equal $5.2 MILLION dollars. I haven't seen any pictures of Windward Passage nowadays, but that newscast made it appear to me that Mariners Boathouse could have been fully repaired/renovated/refurbished for quite a bit less than millions.

And why not keep timeshare owners fully informed? That newscast interviewed one Mariners Boathouse owner who appeared to say that the only correspondence owners got was in November 2023 and November 2024, both times painting a rosy picture of rebuilding efforts while simultaneously billing for the the next year's maintenance fees. At the very least, it appears there has been an information blackout during a time when there should have been constant updates.

One of the aspects of timeshare ownership that I least like is that very few resorts have a means by which timeshare management and owners can communicate with each other 24/7. How hard is it to set up a resort page for "owners only" on groups.io (groups DOT io)?

At the very least, then , even if VRI and the Boards of Directors are not engaging in fraud, they've certainly been negligent in their lack of communication.

Windward Passage has in fact already (belatedly?) imposed a new post-Ian special assessment on its' owners. I am aware of this from having met a Windward Passage owner while staying in the FMB area back in March; that WP owner had rented a March week at the same place where we were staying. If I recall the conversation and the numbers correctly, the first of (3) annual $800 special assessments had already been imposed on WP owners and already collected, with two more payments of that same amount due (on top of regular maintenance fees) in each of the next two years. Meanwhile, almost three years after Hurricane Ian, the property remains "under repair" and unavailable for occupancy. If memory serves, I vaguely recall that "additional roof repair costs" may have been cited to the WP owners as the reason for that belated special assessment.

VRI-managed Bonita Resort in nearby Bonita Beach has an "owner access only" page on their web site, but Board information conveyed to owners there is reportedly irregular and not very informative. I don't know if a similar communication mechanism exists for Windward Passage. It seems clear that at Mariners Boat House, complete "radio silence" has been the sadly consistent m.o. since Hurricane Ian.

 

[timeshare trader]

I think what the owners and management companies are underestimating is the cost that carrying unsold inventory will have on the overall costs to owners. There will be a lot of fall out with big special assessments coming. For all practical purposes there is no sales and marketing of timeshare that has happened in Fort Myers for decades. Of course the resorts have done in-house sales with very low costs. If the resorts are rebuilt the cost per interval will exceed $10,000 per interval or $500k per year. Typically the cost of the product is only about 20% of the sales price. The days of being able to sell weeks for $1000 and just get the maintenance fees are over. Yet none of the HOA's will want to partner with a real sales organization. I just don't see a viable future for timeshare in Fort Myers.

On another note what a tragedy Lahaina is. A true nightmare story they had viable offers to sell the property but, the property has done zero effort to get the deeds back so the property can be sold. I really can't figure out who is at fault there.