The area took a direct hit. Much of Fort Myers Beach is unrecognizable and our park, Siesta Bay, has been severely damaged. It’s been an emotional time and we are one of the lucky ones; we still have our home.

The pictures show the Time Square area of Fort Myers Beach. You can see what is left of the pier. Right next to the pier there used to be a restaurant/bar “PierSide Grill”. It’s gone, along with countless other businesses and homes.

This is only one small area. Directly across from Time Square is Sanibel Island that was also devastated. The destruction goes on for miles.

We started going to Fort Myers beach in 2009 and it felt right for it to be our winter home when we started RVing. With it’s eclectic laid back style, we have lots of great memories.

Regarding Siesta Bay Resort; most, if not all, of the modular and permanently placed mobile homes are a total loss. The park buildings and infrastructure is severely damaged. Our Siesta Bay resident’s FaceBook posts have documented the loses and struggles as people come to terms with what has happened. It is heartbreaking. Again, we only have a RV lot there, so we are fortunate.

Siesta Bay is owned by Sun Outdoors; initially stating they are committed to rebuilding the park. Estimating this will take a year or longer, the park will be completely closed during the restoration.

With widespread damage throughout southwest Florida, we decided to immediately start looking for options for the coming months. After a lot of time and effort, we were able to secure alternate sites to stay in Florida. We will spend parts of October and November in the panhandle, near Carrabelle, FL and then move to Emerald Point RV Resort south of Zephyrhills (northeast of Tampa) for December through April.

If Siesta Bay eventually reopens, we will have to make a decision to go back or let our spot go. It’s difficult to imagine that right now after so much destruction. We pray for recovery, healing, and renewal.

Please enjoy a little tribute to what was our little piece of paradise; hope to return someday!