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Hurricane Ian Florida Resort Updates thread!

TUGBrian

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atlantic terrace posted this to fb page :(

1664686002441.jpeg


Dear Owners! We know you have been patiently waiting to hear from us on the damages the resort has suffered due to the hurricane. We have completed the property inspection but couldn’t post earlier due to not having working internet at the resort. The phone system is also out. The property still has no power and the generator that supplies the common areas has been constantly running since Wednesday, today stopped working. We had service out and repairs were done but shortly after it stopped working again and is currently out. The elevator had fuses blown and is currently not working. We are trying to get the parts ordered but due to everything that is going on, there is no guaranteed availability. The street sign has fallen apart and will need to be replaced. Half of the beach access steps was washed away. The pool equipment was submerged under water and will need to be replaced. So far, the estimate for damaged A/C units on the roof is 6 but we won’t know the final count until the power is back on. The interior North side hallway carpets are soaked, on some floors there is also drywall damage. The North side balcony railings will have to be repainted.


The good news is that inside the rooms the damages are minimal, mainly wet carpets in the North facing bedrooms. The roof has no visible damages. The gazebo is intact, other than two small spots on the roof.

We will keep you updated on the remediation process as things develop.

Thank you for your continuing support when it comes to Atlantic Terrace and the Staff!
We would also like to thank the owners currently on site for their positive attitude and support!
 

amy241

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I wonder will the U S Army, The Marine Corp or The Corp of Engineers step up and use their water craft boats to ferry residents on & off the Islands until a temporary bridge is in place.
They are using Black Hawk helicopters and boats to remove people from the barrier islands. Also, the Cajun Navy has come to the rescue and is assisting with their vessels.
 

amy241

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I heard that starting Tuesday the army corp of engineers will have barges to take people and equipment back and forth to the island. Some of my neighbors in Wisconsin are heading down sunday in anticipation of this.

They are not letting anyone on Sanibel right now, even residents. There is no infrastructure left - no electricity, running water/sewer, or services like gas stations. Sanibel is not habitable in its present state. Fort Myers Beach is destroyed also. Lee County is totally off the grid.
 

rapmarks

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They are not letting anyone on Sanibel right now, even residents. There is no infrastructure left - no electricity, running water/sewer, or services like gas stations. Sanibel is not habitable in its present state. Fort Myers Beach is destroyed also. Lee County is totally off the grid.
I live in Lee county. I am aware. Our subdivision got electricity yesterday
 

rapmarks

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I just read that the plan is to allow inspection of homes and perhaps removal of carpet and drywall and to take personal items. They do not know the date of that. They are clearing the main roads and plan to set up city hall as a center. a few of the lift stations were not damaged. Article stated that two or three hundred pepole had remained on the island.
 

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I have sad news to report for anyone who visited Sanibel regularly and loved the birds in the courtyard at Jerry’s. Visiting Caesar, Babe, Mia, and Precious was always among the highlights of our visit. They had their own following and were loved by so many visitors. The birds were moved from Jerry’s to Periwinkle Park where there were other animals and birds. Someone posting on the Sanibel I Love FB page for the family that owns Periwinkle Park reported that they have all died.

I am totally stunned that these animals were not moved to a safe location off island for their welfare. Any number of animal shelters would have taken them in to care for under the circumstances.

Godspeed little Caesar and friends. May your snowy wings ferry you to heaven swiftly.

7F1D731E-E115-4694-9FF7-BA29094271A5.jpeg
 

Bxian

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We own 3 weeks at the Charter Club on Marco Island. We've been checking the City of Marco Island Facebook page, as well as those of the Charter Club, Eagle's Nest, and a community non-profit that was formed after the island took a hit from Hurricane Irma. Here is what is being reported:
1. The Charter Club and Eagle's Nest are currently closed. I assume that the same is true of Surf Club/Club Regency.
2. Charter Club reported that they were "encouraged that the property may not have had the severe damage inside/out as we did from Irma in 2017. We will not know until we can enter the rooms and provide a damage assessment." Both EN and CC have indicated that they are awaiting a damage assessment and remain closed.
3. Marco Island lost all power during the storm. The local utility is reporting that about 40% of the power has been restored as of the morning of Sunday 10/2 (Marco is zip code 34145): https://outagemap.lcec.net:35443/ma...B8C7nwgnmjJ2DryqbUksvg5bYg09IPGYJ_41St3BsWa9o. The three main grocery stores are open, and most gas stations are open. Some restaurants are already open, and others have announced that they plan to open early this coming week.
4. Some of the well-loved businesses on the water in Olde Marco, Isles of Capri, and Goodland took on a lot of water and sustained damage (including Snook Inn, Le Be Fish, Smith House, and Island Gypsy).
5. RSW (Fort Myers airport) reported the following on Saturday afternoon 10/1:
The runway and terminal building are in very good condition and testing of the systems is nearly complete.
We are waiting to learn about staffing from the many different companies and agencies that make RSW work safely and securely for the thousands of people using the airport.
RSW and Page Field are currently providing support to many humanitarian flights and military rescue missions.
We hope to open to commercial flights as soon as possible.
 

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Maybe someone knows the answer to this question. Why has the storm surge been so extreme with this hurricane?


 

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Most of Fort Myers Beach has been completely destroyed by the hurricane. Well over half of the buildings have been reduced to rubble or damaged beyond repair.

Fort Myers Beach has some small, independent timeshare properties that are not part of any of the larger systems. And some of these properties have been completely destroyed or damaged to the point where they will have to be torn down.

These properties will face very difficult decisions in the coming weeks. They will have to decide whether to rebuild or sell the property. But in a small, independent timeshare that does not have the resources of an organization like Marriott or Hilton, either choice could have complex problems that could give rise to disputes and litigation.

If they want to rebuild, the HOA may not have sufficient reserves to cover the insurance deductible and any other expenses that are not covered by the insurance proceeds. That would trigger a special assessment. If enough owners are unable or unwilling to pay the assessment, that could effectively leave the board with no choice but to sell, or it could force the HOA into bankruptcy.

And what about owners who cannot use their weeks while they are rebuilding? Unlike the larger timeshare systems, they cannot simply offer them something at another resort. It doesn't help that this happened near the end of the calendar, around the time that many properties send out bills for the annual maintenance fees. Some owners will not pay their fees if they can't actually use their weeks, and that could lead to serious financial trouble for the HOA.

If they make a decision to sell, some owners might try to stop the sale through litigation, by arguing that it is not in the best interest of the owners, or that it is not being sold for its true fair market value. Or there could be litigation over how to allocate the proceeds of the sale among the owners.
 
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TravelTime

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I think the real problem is over population. There are too many people on this planet using too many things that subsequently pollute the environment. Then we see the effects of over population in climate change.
 

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What happens when a resort is destroyed and can't be rebuilt?

The answer is "it depends." LOL If the resort is part of a larger timeshare system, like Marriott or Hilton, they they may have various options available, such as offering owners the option to transfer their ownership to a different resort.

If it is a smaller, independent property, and rebuilding is not an option, then the board may be forced to sell the property. If that happens, then presumably the proceeds of the sale, together with any insurance proceeds (which could be a significant amount of money, keeping in mind that it is not being used to repair or replace the buildings) would be distributed among the owners.

Each case is different, and how it is handled often depends on what is in the covenants and governing documents. In some cases, the board may have the authority to sell the property and terminate the timeshare if they get an expert opinion from a consultant who says that rebuilding would be cost prohibitive, i.e., the insurance deductible and other expenses not covered by insurance would are greater than the HOA's reserves, and would trigger a very large special assessment, and if just ten or twenty percent of the owners fail to pay it, the HOA would be unable to proceed with rebuilding, or something like that. In other cases, a decision to sell the property might require a vote. For some older properties, if the governing documents have not been updated in many, many years, such a decision might even require an an in-person meeting, and the vote might require a quorum.

See my other comments in this thread:

 

TravelTime

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I live in Florida on the east coast and have been actively looking at buying a home on Marco Island for the last 4 months. I can tell you that ever since FEMA changed to Risk Rating 2.0 in October 2021, “new entries“ into the National Flood Insurance Program will pay markedly higher rates. I spoke to insurance agent Jim Bonfitto on Marco about this as we were considering actually building a home. I recall it was quoted to run between $9,000 - $12,000 a year as a new entry into the NFIP.

If you can find a home on the resale market that has an existing flood policy, you can transfer the policy and take advantage of better “pass through” or “glide through” rates which are closer to what the seller is currently paying.

Once we found out how expensive flood insurance has become for new construction homes, we decided we were better off looking for a newer resale home that had existing flood coverage.

Flood insurance is extremely expensive as of the change in how FEMA calculates the risk.

I was reading that someone is paying $800 to $900 for a $250,000 policy. So just as an estimate, on $2 million policy (which people with an expensive home might carry), that comes out to $7200+ a year. That totally makes sense to me as to why you were quoted so much, assuming you were either trying to purchase an expensive home or you were talking to the agent and he said people are paying that much. In another article, I was reading that the average flood policy is actually $1000 a year in FL. I have a friend of a friend who just purchased a new build in Venice, FL, so I am asking how much her flood insurance is. I hope her home is okay given the location.
 

TravelTime

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The answer is "it depends." LOL If the resort is part of a larger timeshare system, like Marriott or Hilton, they they may have various options available, such as offering owners the option to transfer their ownership to a different resort.

If it is a smaller, independent property, and rebuilding is not an option, then the board may be forced to sell the property. If that happens, then presumably the proceeds of the sale, together with any insurance proceeds (which could be a significant amount of money, keeping in mind that it is not being used to repair or replace the buildings) would be distributed among the owners.

Each case is different, and how it is handled often depends on what is in the covenants and governing documents. In some cases, the board may have the authority to sell the property and terminate the timeshare if they get an expert opinion from a consultant who says that rebuilding would be cost prohibitive, i.e., the insurance deductible and other expenses not covered by insurance would are greater than the HOA's reserves, and would trigger a very large special assessment, and if just ten or twenty percent of the owners fail to pay it, the HOA would be unable to proceed with rebuilding, or something like that. In other cases, a decision to sell the property might require a vote. For some older properties, if the governing documents have not been updated in many, many years, such a decision might even require an an in-person meeting, and the vote might require a quorum.

See my other comments in this thread:


When the hurricane in St Thomas totaled the Westin in St John and the Ritz Carlton in St Thomas, they re-built both of them. They rebuilt all the hotels too. So for the big name resorts, they are likely rebuild.
 

dioxide45

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When the hurricane in St Thomas totaled the Westin in St John and the Ritz Carlton in St Thomas, they re-built both of them. They rebuilt all the hotels too. So for the big name resorts, they are likely rebuild.
The problem is, from a timeshare perspective, there aren't a lot of big name resorts in southwest Florida. Marriott has one property and HGVC have a few affiliates. That said, they may not assist affiliates with rebuilding efforts as those act more like an independent resort. Most timeshare resorts are small independant without big brand backing. They had to procure their own insurance and what probably were not the best rates and they will also be at the bottom end of the totem pole when trying to procure materials for rebuilding.
 

TravelTime

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The problem is, from a timeshare perspective, there aren't a lot of big name resorts in southwest Florida. Marriott has one property and HGVC have a few affiliates. That said, they may not assist affiliates with rebuilding efforts as those act more like an independent resort. Most timeshare resorts are small independant without big brand backing. They had to procure their own insurance and what probably were not the best rates and they will also be at the bottom end of the totem pole when trying to procure materials for rebuilding.

Yes I said the big name resorts in my post. I understand smaller resorts may not rebuild. The land is still very valuable so I assume developers with cash can come in and buy the land at a discount. Individuals can do this too depending on what the land is zoned for. Eventually the areas with major damage will be rebuilt but it will take years if the structure was completed demolished. An example, a developer came in and bought the land in Surfside and they are redeveloping. That will be quick to rebuild compared to the destruction in the hard hit areas from Ian. I think many parts of Sanibel, Fort Myers, Naples, etc will be rebuilt quickly once the land is sold. That sounds sad but it is a good solution for the people who do not want to rebuild due to high deductibles or no insurance. At least they get some money to buy elsewhere.
 

amy241

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The problem is, from a timeshare perspective, there aren't a lot of big name resorts in southwest Florida. Marriott has one property and HGVC have a few affiliates. That said, they may not assist affiliates with rebuilding efforts as those act more like an independent resort. Most timeshare resorts are small independant without big brand backing. They had to procure their own insurance and what probably were not the best rates and they will also be at the bottom end of the totem pole when trying to procure materials for rebuilding.

Our unit at Sanibel Cottages is an HGVC affiliate. It is a series of wood frame buildings facing the Gulf. I’m certain they have heavy damage. I’ve looked at the NOAA Ian Damage photos of the resort and the roofs of all buildings but one look to have damage. It looks like outside staircases to the units have been demolished. And then there is the storm surge issue. In the case of this resort, as much as I love it there, I don’t think they should rebuild. Wood frame was not a good choice in a hurricane prone area. CBS and concrete structures always fare better.
 

TravelTime

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Our unit at Sanibel Cottages is an HGVC affiliate. It is a series of wood frame buildings facing the Gulf. I’m certain they have heavy damage. I’ve looked at the NOAA Ian Damage photos of the resort and the roofs of all buildings but one look to have damage. It looks like outside staircases to the units have been demolished. And then there is the storm surge issue. In the case of this resort, as much as I love it there, I don’t think they should rebuild. Wood frame was not a good choice in a hurricane prone area. CBS and concrete structures always fare better.

I am so sorry about the damage your resort sustained. Assuming it is not rebuilt, what would be a good solution for you?
 

moonstone

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Strange that the Atlantic Terrace in Daytona had so much damage yet our timeshare in St. Augustine, an hour north and more in the line of the storm, had much less. Here is what we got from The Beach Club at St. Augustine yesterday.

"Dear owners and guests,
With the passing of Hurricane Ian, we are happy to say we were able to all return to The Beach Club today, September 30th, to begin clean-up. While our units facing the wind direction did get windblown rain that dampened some carpets, and there’s a lot of debris throughout, we did not sustain any structural damages from the storm. We are “all hands on deck” to get the property cleaned up and our cleaning crews are tackling getting all of the rooms cleaned and prepared for Sunday.
We appreciate your patients and look forward to seeing you after 4pm Sunday!
If you have not pre-registered for check-in already, please email us your vehicle information (make, model, color, tag state, and number) so we can have your parking pass(es) ready and let us know who will be staying in the unit and their ages if under 18.
PLEASE plan to arrive after 4pm to give us ample time for your units to be ready with all of the extra cleaning that will need to be done."

We check into The Beach Club 4 weeks from today for a 2 week stay while we do some minor renos and furnish our condo up the road.


~Diane
 

TravelTime

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This is an old but relevant article.


A Natural Disaster Wipes Out Your Home. Then the Buyers Come Calling.
Risk-taking investors increasingly buy properties damaged in hurricanes, fires and floods and flip them for profit; ‘follow the storm path’

July 30, 2019 10:59 am ET

PANAMA CITY, Fla.—After Hurricane Michael swept over the Florida Panhandle last October, destroying thousands of homes and taking dozens of lives, David Dey started looking for property to buy.

The Lakeland, Fla.-based real-estate investor had been part of a group that flipped hundreds of damaged homes in and around New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina deluged the city in 2005. He bought flood-damaged homes in Houston after Hurricane Harvey in 2017. The destruction he saw in Panama City, Fla., was worse.

Within months of the storm, Mr. Dey and his partners began buying houses and apartments in the hurricane zone. He flipped a few of them without doing any work, turning an average profit of $10,000 to $15,000 apiece, he said. He is rebuilding some and has rented out others to contractors who arrived after the storm, certain of work but not of a place to sleep.

Mr. Dey is a disaster investor, a real-estate speculator who seeks to profit from hurricanes, wildfires and tornadoes. These days, there are a lot of them around.

Last year had the fourth-most natural disasters since 1980 to cause damages estimated at $1 billion or more, according to the National Centers for Environmental Information, a federal data archive. The top three years also occurred in the recent past: 2017, 2011 and 2016.

Many of those disasters hit areas in California, Florida or the southeastern U.S. where populations had been increasing and real-estate prices rising. Once a disaster hits, those without insurance often are forced to sell their damaged homes. Those with insurance often do the same.

For a certain type of risk-taker, this offers a rare chance to buy properties on the cheap and flip them for a profit, often after fixing them up. Disaster investors also often face hostile locals, a shortage of contractors and materials, and volatile property prices.

Disaster investors say they are helping the communities in which they invest. They take financial risk, they say, and their money helps towns begin the rebuilding process when most property developers and lenders are reluctant to be involved.…
 

amy241

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I am so sorry about the damage your resort sustained. Assuming it is not rebuilt, what would be a good solution for you?

I really don’t know. I’ve never faced this question before. I guess they should sell the property for its land value, pay off any debts, and distribute the rest among owners.

I’ve lived in Florida since 1975, a long time now. I’ve been going to Sanibel for many years - it is my favorite place in the state. Recently, we had been looking for a second home on Sanibel or Marco Island. We’ve made multiple trips over for open houses, scheduled showings, etc. Marco had better availability of homes than Sanibel where inventory was still so low. But with this disaster, it has really changed how I look at things. As much as I love being near a beach, the risks are huge when something like this takes place. The area along the Gulf from Tampa south to Marco has always been one of the most storm surge prone areas of the country.

Sanibel represented Old Florida to me. There is very little area left that I considered Old Florida. We loved it there. But maybe it is time for us to stop building in vulnerable, coastal areas. In a perfect world, I would love to see this barrier island returned to nature, left for the birds and wildlife that they worked hard to find and set aside conservation areas for. Maybe with a few public beach facilities for people to enjoy the beach and nature. But that would never happen because people have such a vested interest in the area.
 

Rolltydr

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Strange that the Atlantic Terrace in Daytona had so much damage yet our timeshare in St. Augustine, an hour north and more in the line of the storm, had much less. Here is what we got from The Beach Club at St. Augustine yesterday.

"Dear owners and guests,
With the passing of Hurricane Ian, we are happy to say we were able to all return to The Beach Club today, September 30th, to begin clean-up. While our units facing the wind direction did get windblown rain that dampened some carpets, and there’s a lot of debris throughout, we did not sustain any structural damages from the storm. We are “all hands on deck” to get the property cleaned up and our cleaning crews are tackling getting all of the rooms cleaned and prepared for Sunday.
We appreciate your patients and look forward to seeing you after 4pm Sunday!
If you have not pre-registered for check-in already, please email us your vehicle information (make, model, color, tag state, and number) so we can have your parking pass(es) ready and let us know who will be staying in the unit and their ages if under 18.
PLEASE plan to arrive after 4pm to give us ample time for your units to be ready with all of the extra cleaning that will need to be done."

We check into The Beach Club 4 weeks from today for a 2 week stay while we do some minor renos and furnish our condo up the road.


~Diane
Good to hear! I’m going to try and find time to drive over to Vilano in the next couple days and see what it looks like. Today is just absolutely gorgeous! About 80 degrees and beautiful blue skies!
 

rapmarks

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I really don’t know. I’ve never faced this question before. I guess they should sell the property for its land value, pay off any debts, and distribute the rest among owners.

I’ve lived in Florida since 1975, a long time now. I’ve been going to Sanibel for many years - it is my favorite place in the state. Recently, we had been looking for a second home on Sanibel or Marco Island. We’ve made multiple trips over for open houses, scheduled showings, etc. Marco had better availability of homes than Sanibel where inventory was still so low. But with this disaster, it has really changed how I look at things. As much as I love being near a beach, the risks are huge when something like this takes place. The area along the Gulf from Tampa south to Marco has always been one of the most storm surge prone areas of the country.

Sanibel represented Old Florida to me. There is very little area left that I considered Old Florida. We loved it there. But maybe it is time for us to stop building in vulnerable, coastal areas. In a perfect world, I would love to see this barrier island returned to nature, left for the birds and wildlife that they worked hard to find and set aside conservation areas for. Maybe with a few public beach facilities for people to enjoy the beach and nature. But that would never happen because people have such a vested interest in the area.
I would love to see this and more land on fort Myers beach and Bonita beach turned into beaches with enough parking for locals to enjoy
 

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If you haven’t seen this video, it is powerful. It shows the rise of 15 ft of storm surge in Ft. Myers. It is terrifying:

 

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sand and surf resort (Daytona beach) posted this today on fb: :(

It is heartbreaking to see what Ian has done to our little resort. This picture was taken Saturday. So far the stuctural integrity of our building is intact. The Board will be meeting tomorrow and start the process with insurance and many other issues. We will have our Annual Meeting as scheduled and hope to have information on some kind of timeline by then. Our hope would be to remain open even while the pool and deck areas are being repaired when possible. We appreciate all our owners and will provide more information as we get it.

1664757166502.jpeg
 

silentg

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Inland areas are still dealing with flooding, Seminole,Orange, Osceola Counties have had to evacuate people due to rising water tables on nearby lakes. Roads are impassible and houses unlivable due to flooding. Ian has had a terrible impact on Florida and South Carolina too!
 
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