"A lot of restaurants said they were off 30 percent in their revenue after all three marinas downtown were destroyed." That came from a staff member at Legacy Harbour Marina, speaking to WINK News this month as the docks on West First Street reopened to boaters.
Most explanations for why the River District felt thinner after Hurricane Ian point to the storm in general terms. This one is more specific. A real share of downtown's dinner trade arrived by water, tied up for a few nights, and walked up First Street. When the slips went, that trade went with them. That means the riverfront's recovery is following a schedule set by docks, permits and pilings, and this fall it finally has some dates.
Boats Were Part of the Downtown Customer Base
Downtown Fort Myers had three marinas on the Caloosahatchee before Ian: Legacy Harbour, the City of Fort Myers Yacht Basin and The Marina at Edison Ford. An April 2023 roundup of post-storm boating conditions listed all three as closed.
The comments from returning boaters show how directly that traffic connects to downtown businesses. Dave Heiden, a Cape Coral boater, told WINK that Legacy Harbour is "one of our favorite local venues," with "nice new facilities," and called it "a nice, easy walk into town." Marina staff said they hope to fill the 13 acres of riverfront with boats and bring that money back to local businesses.
If a third of a restaurant's revenue arrived by boat, then a marina reopening means more to downtown than a parking lot opening would. It brings back customers.
What Reopened at 2044 W. First St.
Legacy Harbour Marina reopened after a redevelopment of about $15 million. It covers 13 acres with 131 slips, has passed final inspections and is taking reservations. Construction began in early 2025. The marina was originally expected to open this spring, so it arrived roughly two quarters late.
Marina director Eric Ravenschlag described the damage this way: "The docks floated off the concrete piles, and all the boats in here were either on land or half sunk, except for nine." The rebuild went in stages. Salvage came first, then demolition of some buildings, then cleaning the bottom of the basin, and only then construction. The new marina has more pilings and stronger breakwaters than the old one, built specifically to keep the 2022 damage from happening again.
Here's what local boaters should know right now:
- Booking: Slips can be reserved through the marina's dockage page or by calling the marina office at (239) 320-8855.
- Stay length: The reservation page offers short-term stays as well as seasonal and annual ones, so a weekend trip upriver works.
- Facilities: The marina office is open, with restrooms and showers for boaters.
- Still to come: An amenities lounge is planned but hasn't been reported as open.
The marina's homepage still shows an earlier reopening projection. The September news reports are the more current source.
The Riverfront Calendar, as Announced
The riverfront comes back in pieces over the next three months, and each piece adds a reason to come downtown by water or on foot. Every date below comes from the organizer or from local reporting. The December items are forecasts.
| When | What | Where | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct. 2, 5 to 9 p.m. | October Art Walk | First and Hendry | Scheduled |
| October, date TBA | Legacy Harbour Marina grand opening | 2044 W. First St. | Month announced |
| Oct. 16, 6 to 10 p.m. | October Music Walk | First and Hendry | Scheduled |
| Nov. 6, 5 to 9 p.m. | November Art Walk | First and Hendry | Scheduled |
| Nov. 20, 6 to 10 p.m. | November Music Walk | First and Hendry | Scheduled |
| December | Nellie's Boatyard opens | 2024 W. First St. | Expected |
| December | Legacy Island Park opens | Caloosahatchee, upstream of the Business U.S. 41 bridge | Expected |
| No date | City Yacht Basin reopens | Between the U.S. 41 and Edison bridges | Awaiting federal permit |
The River District lists Art Walk on the first Friday of each month and Music Walk on the third. For the first time since 2022, both events fall in a season when transient boaters have a downtown marina to tie up at.
A New Restaurant at a Familiar Waterfront Address
The restaurant on the table has deep roots at its site. Leonard Lemmer plans to open Nellie's Boatyard at 2024 W. First St. in the building that housed the Chart House from 1984 and Joe's Crab Shack from 2003. Joe's Crab Shack closed in 2025 when its lease expired.
Lemmer already runs Cantina Laredo in Fort Myers, Nervous Nellie's on Fort Myers Beach and Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux in Cape Coral. In July he bought the Nervous Nellie's property for $8.25 million, according to Lee County property records cited by the Business Observer, after leasing it for 12 years. Some of Nervous Nellie's popular dishes are planned for the new menu, which will focus on aged steaks and local seafood. The plan calls for 250 seats, a 40-seat circular bar and more than 100 hospitality staff. Renderings show 82 floor-to-ceiling windows facing the river and the new marina.
In August, the Business Observer reported the opening as "late 2026." In September, WINK and Gulfshore Business narrowed that to December. Lemmer is also planning extensive interior remodeling and landscaping before opening, so treat December as a target.
The restaurant sits inside the larger Legacy Harbour redevelopment. That project also proposes two 25-story riverfront towers and a parking garage, which so far exist only as plans.
An Island You Reach by Boat or Kayak
The marina gives boaters a downtown place to tie up for the night. Legacy Island Park gives them a place to stop for an hour.
The park is in the Caloosahatchee just upstream of the Business U.S. 41 bridge. Phase one, which covered land clearing, shoreline stabilization and mangrove planting, was finished in 2024. On April 20, 2026, Fort Myers City Council awarded WB Williamson Bros. Inc. a $396,137.50 contract for phase two. The work is paid for with a grant from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Phase two includes a main pier with five boat slips, two gazebos, a walking path and a second walking pier. The city's bid documents describe the docks as day-use mooring, so boaters can visit the island and explore it. In late July, Williamson Brothers general manager Jeremy Weischedel told Gulf Coast News, "We're actually ahead." City officials said the park is expected to open in December as a destination for boaters and kayakers. No update since July has confirmed that construction is finished.
If both December dates hold, a boat could leave Legacy Harbour, stop at the island upriver, and be back in time for dinner at Nellie's Boatyard. Neither of those last two stops existed a year ago.
The Basin Between the Bridges
Here's why the recovery is only partial. Edison Ford has been operating, with new docks, 45 public slips, pump-out service and Pinchers on site. Its website still calls it the only downtown marina "up and running," a line that predates Legacy Harbour's reopening.
The City of Fort Myers Yacht Basin, between the U.S. 41 and Edison bridges, hasn't come back. Suntex Marinas holds the redevelopment lease. Its plan calls for up to 280 slips, a boat club, a marine store, fuel facilities and about 40,000 square feet of restaurant and retail space on a filled portion of the basin, with a minimum investment of $30 million.
Here's where the project stands:
- April 6, 2026: City Council extended the ground lease for one year. Suntex is waiting on federal approval to dredge and fill part of the basin. By a 4-3 vote, council also moved to require $250,000 a year from Suntex until the project is finished, an amount meant to match what the basin used to bring the city.
- At that same meeting: Eric Metz, Suntex's vice president of development, said the Florida Department of Environmental Protection had issued its permits and the company expected the Army Corps of Engineers to respond on the final permit "in the near term."
- July 8, 2026: The News-Press reported Suntex was still waiting on that permit. U.S. Rep. Greg Steube said he would meet with the Corps and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service about it.
Councilor Fred Burson raised the habitat issues the permit has to address, including the smalltooth sawfish, manatees and the basin's water quality. Councilor Darla Bonk noted that two federal government shutdowns had contributed to the delays. None of the reporting gives a reopening date.
Up to 280 slips is more than twice Legacy Harbour's 131. Once permits clear, that is how much downtown boat capacity is still to return. Even with Legacy Harbour, Nellie's Boatyard and Legacy Island Park all open, this winter will be the River District with two of its three marinas.
If you follow the Caloosahatchee waterfront closely, whether you're a boater or you're weighing what Legacy Harbour, Edison Ford and an eventual Yacht Basin could mean for a riverfront home or condo, The Westerfield Group keeps track of these projects as they move. Let's Connect, and we'll go over the riverfront dates with you as they're confirmed.
