The resilient spirit of Fort Myers Beach shines brightly in this heartwarming conversation with Scott Safford from Sea Gypsy Vacation Rentals. As the community rebuilds following Hurricane Ian, Scott shares the exciting progress happening across the island and the strategic approach of creating "a win every month" to maintain momentum.
July celebrated the Beach Bar becoming the first business to literally rise from the ashes, while August brought the return of the Rugby Tournament and debut of Mullet Fest. Looking ahead, the Singer Songwriters festival is set for September, The Whale plans to reopen in October, and November will feature an expanded Sand Sculpting Tournament. These milestones mark the steady march forward for this determined beach community.
Vacation rental patterns reveal an encouraging evolution of visitor confidence. What began as cautious one-bedroom bookings immediately after Ian has progressed to two-bedroom rentals last year, with larger four and five-bedroom properties now seeing strong demand as families return for full beach experiences. Though rates haven't fully recovered, the focus remains on rebuilding visitor loyalty and creating new generations of Fort Myers Beach enthusiasts.
Perhaps most striking is the exceptional water quality, with clarity levels rarely seen during summer months. This improvement stems from collaborative efforts between local and state governments to better manage water discharges. Organizations like Captains for Clean Water have transformed the conversation around water quality from a niche environmental concern to a universally recognized economic priority that transcends politics.
The beach renourishment project is nearly complete, dramatically expanding the shoreline to approximately twice its previous width – enhancing both the recreational experience and storm protection for coastal properties. Combined with community-created events and traditions, these developments showcase a community that isn't just recovering but emerging stronger and more vibrant than before.
Ready to experience Fort Myers Beach's comeback story firsthand? Whether you're planning a quick weekend getaway or a family reunion, Sea Gypsy Vacation Rentals offers accommodations to match any need, with their promise of "clean rooms and happy guests." Come discover why Fort Myers Beach remains the slice of paradise we all love!
Sea Gypsy Vacation Rentals
Scott Safford
100 Lovers Ln Suite 2 East, Fort Myers Beach, FL 33931
(239) 463-0078
seagypsyvacationrentals.com
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to the Fort Myers Beach Good Neighbor
Podcast, where the sun's alwaysshining and the stories are even
brighter.
Each episode we bring youcloser to the neighbors, local
legends and beachside businessesthat make Fort Myers Beach the
slice of paradise we all love.
Pull up a beach chair, grab adrink and let's meet the people
who make this island feel likehome.
We want to send out some islandlove to Eric Tibbs from Edward
(00:21):
Jones State Insurance, usa andHome Well Care Services Fort
Myers.
Love to Eric Tibbs from EdwardJones State Insurance, usa and
Home Well Care Services FortMyers.
They are the businesses thatallow us to share the soul of
our community with everylistener, from local stories to
the positive vibe of island life.
Here's to celebrating all thatmakes Fort Myers Beach the slice
of paradise we all love.
Here's your host, cabo, jimSchaller.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
Welcome Fort Myers Beach.
Good neighbors we're all about.
No shade, just sunshine.
Drama-free, positive vibes,only right.
That's what we're all aboutToday.
We have Good Neighbors, scottSafford from Sea Gypsy Vacation
Rentals Welcome.
Speaker 3 (00:55):
Hi, thanks for having me Good morning.
How are you doing today?
Speaker 2 (00:59):
I am doing awesome.
The sun is out, the weather isgreat, the water is clear
finally, so I'm loving it andthe sun is out.
Speaker 3 (01:06):
The weather is great, the water is clear, finally.
So I'm loving it.
That's awesome.
Yeah, we're doing great downhere.
We had a great weekend withMullet Fest and the rugby
tournament.
So you know summer break'sabout to wind down, but we're
still jamming down here.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
Lots of good things happening at the beach, right,
absolutely.
And this is the time the localscan get out and enjoy a little
bit before it gets busy againhere soon, right, absolutely.
And this is the time the localscan get out and enjoy a little
bit before it gets busy againhere soon, right?
Speaker 3 (01:28):
Yes, we used to call this our shoulder season.
We're coming into our shoulderseason, which is between the
summer season and our fullseason, and most of our guests
right now are drivable Tampa,Orlando, Miami of course, A lot
of locals just doing staycations, so it's a good diversity.
(01:50):
But what's cool this year isI've actually had some
international guests, a lot fromSouth America.
I've got some Argentiniansstaying in one of my properties
right now, so it's encouragingthat we're not only getting.
We're trying to get back towhere we were pre-Eon.
So you know a great mix ofpeople, but the vast majority,
you are correct, are locals oryou know, with a drivable three
(02:14):
hours.
Speaker 2 (02:15):
Yeah, and there's plenty to do down here.
Every day something new isopening, something new is
happening down here, so it'sgood to get people to come back
and enjoy it Well, before itgets too busy and too crazy, uh.
But, like I said, they're doinga great job down here at the
beach of doing things to invitepeople to come down, enjoy with
their family and just enjoy thegreat weather we've been having.
Speaker 3 (02:37):
can't complain weather's been fantastic not not
much rain.
It's been really, really nice,especially on the beach, and we
are trying to get you knowdifferent things every month.
You know what I look at it like.
We need the island, needs a winevery month.
So last month, in July, a big,big win.
(02:57):
The beach bar reopened, firstbuilding that rose from the
ashes of Hurricane Ian, so itwas fantastic to see them.
We kicked off August with arugby tournament that was very,
very popular pre-Ean, and thenwe came up with a new event
called Mullet Fest, which reallywas a great success.
(03:18):
And then next month, inSeptember, we're having the
Singer Songwriters.
And then, right behind that,looks like the Whale is going to
be reopening in October, whichis fantastic Same story as the
Beach Bar.
It's good to see thesebusinesses coming back.
And then, of course, inNovember, the kickoff season.
We have the Sand SculptingTournament, which is we started
(03:41):
it back up last year and it wasabsolutely fantastic.
We started it back up last yearand it was absolutely fantastic
.
And they are actuallyincreasing the scope of the
tournament and the length of thetournament.
So we've got some good momentum.
So we're getting wins all thetime.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
And that's what it is about moving forward little by
little, but moving forward isthe key.
I know we spoke a little bitearlier too about your rentals
and what you had seen in yearspast and what you're seeing
currently.
Speaker 3 (04:10):
Yeah, so it's been interesting.
You know, unfortunately, withIrma, red Tide, the pandemic and
, of course, the devastationfrom Ian, we lost a lot of our
generational or repeat business.
So we're starting kind of, youknow, at the very beginning.
(04:31):
We're trying to get new folksto come down here and we're
seeing that since Ian, ourrental pool, the one bedrooms,
tended to rent rather well twoyears ago.
People were just coming down,you down, dipping their toes.
In checking it out Last year wesaw a lot of two bedrooms so
people were able to convincetheir kids or their friends to
(04:52):
come down.
None of the big houses werereally renting.
But what we're seeing thissummer is we're seeing the
larger unit, our four bedrooms,our five bedrooms.
We're seeing families comingdown and enjoying the beach.
So we're starting to get a newgeneration of clientele and that
is, you know, of all the things, that's one of the most
(05:14):
promising.
Now the rates aren't where theywere, but right now we're just
trying to get people to comedown, experience, get a taste of
the beach, see what we have tooffer.
But it's very encouraging thatour larger inventory is moving
this year.
So I think all signs point, youknow, onward and upward.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
Yeah, and it's great when people can bring their
families here and enjoy a quietweekend at the beach.
You know in their unit, youknow off the water or whatever
it may be in their unit you know, off the water or whatever it
may be.
Speaker 3 (05:50):
We're seeing a lot of families, which is really
really great, and we can tellthat's happening because right
when school starts back up in acouple weeks, we're seeing that
traditional, you know, drop off.
But that's okay, you know weagain.
Speaker 2 (06:18):
I hope, our big hope is that these people will come
back next year, maybe even rentanother house or have a family
reunion at Thanksgiving oranother family reunion next
summer.
Now, as far as you're concerned, I know you do your walk every
morning.
Well, whenever you can, I guesswith Max on the beach.
What are you seeing down at thebeach?
Speaker 3 (06:38):
Well, the beach re-nourishment is almost done.
They've got about 10 blocks,maybe three quarters of a mile
to a mile left, but the beach istwice the size it was.
I mean beach.
It looks fantastic.
I know we had some pain gettingto that point this year, but I
(06:59):
think the end product is notonly going to be great for
tourists, but I think it's goingto protect our homes, our
businesses.
So I'm really encouraged we cansee the finish line and it's
absolutely beautiful.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
Yeah, talking about beautiful, and you know, I don't
know whether it's the lack ofdischarge or lack of rain,
whatever it may be, but thewater has been the clearest I've
seen it in a long time.
Speaker 3 (07:23):
Well, that's, you know that's.
There's a couple factors goingon.
Number one, there has been lessrain.
But number two, our localgovernment and our state
government are working hand inhand to keep the discharges from
coming down here.
And just, our water policy ingeneral has been so much better
(07:48):
over the last seven years andwe're seeing the positive
results of that.
I mean, the Southwest FloridaManagement Water District has
completely changed hands.
The flows have, you know, we'reworking with the Army Corps of
Engineers to get a differentflow schedule, obviously because
we've had less rain.
That helps, but I thinkeverybody's working together to
(08:11):
you know, to eventually sendthat water south and keep it
away from us.
And, quite frankly, miami needsmore fresh water.
We had too much, they didn'thave enough, and it's slowly
starting to change.
But I think groups likeCaptains for Clean Water, fmb,
has started their own waterfoundation, the FMB Chamber of
(08:32):
Commerce.
So the word's out and we all, Ithink, are beginning to realize
how important clean water is tous, not not only, you know, for
fishing and boating andeverything else, but it's tied
to our economy.
So I I think you know it used tobe all those crazies want clean
water.
Now it's like, everybody wantsclean water.
(08:54):
And when you go to uh, you know, when you go to an event or you
know, just hanging out withfriends the one thing we can all
agree on is we have to haveclean water.
So it it.
It has totally in, at least inFlorida.
There's there's no politicsinvolved, it's everybody,
doesn't matter what side of thefence you're on.
Everybody agrees that we haveto have clean water, and I think
(09:16):
we're.
You know we're seeing thatchange now and I think in 10, 15
years the water for mygrandkids is going to be much
better than it is now, andthat's a real positive.
Speaker 2 (09:28):
Yeah, yeah, what are we guys doing?
It's great and I'm like I loveit.
I love going to the beach andbeing able to see my feet and
seeing what's in the water.
Speaker 3 (09:43):
Sometimes I don't, sometimes it's in the water.
It's crazy.
I mean, they're, uh, this timeof year, off off my, off my dock
, you can barely see, and now I,some some days I can see the
bottom, which that doesn'thappen except in, you know, late
february, early march, and nowwe're seeing it, you know, in
july and during rainy season.
So it's, it's super encouraging, but you know, again, it, it
everybody's got to do their partand I, I think, um, I think you
(10:05):
know we're all in I hate to usewe're all in this together, but
look, we have to have cleanwater.
It's, it's, it's a must.
Yeah, it's like you have tohave oxygen breathe and we need
clean water to have a vibrantcommunity and economy.
Speaker 2 (10:25):
It makes a big difference.
Talking about that as far asgiving back, I mean I know
you're part of the council andeverything, but what can other
people do to help give back andget involved?
Speaker 3 (10:32):
in the Fort Myers community.
If you want to get involvedwith clean water, you go check
out captains for clean, cleanwater.
I think that's the first groupthat comes to mind.
I mean these, these guys startright after irma, during the red
tide there, and so it's almosteight, nine, ten years now that
and they were in their late 20s.
But if you ever say, hey, Ican't make a difference, these
(10:55):
two guys that started captainsfor clean water have made a
difference.
So you know they're.
They're still fighting, I meanevery day they're.
I mean they're trying to build.
These two guys that startedCaptains for Clean Water have
made a difference.
They're still fighting everyday.
They're trying to build a rockmine in the Everglades.
These guys get wind of it.
They're sending petitions,they're going to meetings,
they're really active.
I think that's a good startingpoint.
(11:15):
Of course, the EvergladesFoundation is great.
Check out the FMB ChambersWater Foundation.
They just got a couple testingstations on the island.
One is at the Mound House.
So it's really cool howeverybody's getting involved,
(11:37):
not just one or two individuals,but it seems like the whole
community is getting it.
Speaker 2 (11:52):
I think I locked up there for a second.
That's okay.
Did you get all that?
The very end of it cut off alittle bit.
So if you want to try to cleanit up at the end there, just
finish your last sentence, maybe, I think.
Speaker 3 (12:09):
I'm getting involved it.
Just it takes everyone to getinvolved.
But even just understandingwhat's going on with the
Everglades and what Captains forClean Water is trying to
accomplish, I think just someknowledge and understanding that
you know red tide is a naturalevent, but when you dump all
(12:32):
this water with phosphates andeverything else, it just
accelerates it.
So we're trying to keep thatflow.
We're trying to keep cleanerwater coming down the
Caloosahatchee.
Speaker 2 (12:44):
It makes a difference .
It absolutely does.
I know your schedule's beenvery demanding lately.
You've been spreading, you'vegot a lot going on, but outside
of work, what do you enjoy doing?
Do you have a secret spot youlike to go to and maybe grab a
cocktail and watch the sunset?
Speaker 3 (13:03):
Well, my quote-unquote office, my home
away from home, is the beach bar, but that's you know.
I try to get out um on our boatand you know my dog Mac, and my
other dog, dudley, we we lovejumping the boat and go down the
dog beach and hang out now, bylover's key and, yes, even just
(13:24):
a quick afternoon on the watercan can just take the stress out
of your life and we just boatin the back bay and sometimes
we'll get adventurous and and goup to kayak Costa or North cap
and but just being on the boatyou know, a couple of times a
month is is really good for thesoul and good for the mind to
(13:46):
clear your head.
Speaker 2 (13:48):
Yeah, I'm with you.
I spend a spend a day on theevery weekend at the beach just
to unwind and ground myself andjust to enjoy what, why we live
here.
Right, you know, can we?
Speaker 3 (13:58):
get away from everything, put that phone on,
do not disturb, and just youknow, let your staff know.
I'm blessed that I have areally, really good staff.
We've been together for anumber of years.
We all trust each other.
We all know that personal time,family time, is important.
Just to get that, you know, hitthat reset button.
(14:20):
So you know you work hard, youplay hard, but you have to have
some relaxation and some justrecharge your battery time too,
and that's super important.
Speaker 2 (14:32):
Absolutely, absolutely.
So talking again about businessand Sea Gypsy, what if people
wanted to come visit Fort MyersBeach and wanted to check out
what you have to offer?
How would they go aboutcontacting you?
Speaker 3 (14:45):
They can check out our website at gypsyvacationcom.
They can check out our Facebookpage.
They can check out ourInstagram page.
Just get a feel for what wehave page.
Just get a feel for what wehave.
As we've said in the past, Ithink we're able to offer any
type of vacation.
If you're looking for thatweekend studio, one bedroom
(15:06):
apartment getaway, we've gotthat.
If there's a small familycoming down, we have some great
two bedroom and three bedroomapartments and condos, and then
we've got some huge, massivehouses on the beach.
So if you're looking toentertain for a wedding, for a
family reunion, if you're comingdown for a baseball tournament,
(15:26):
you want all the wives stayingthere and the kids well, dad and
the son are out playingbaseball we can do that.
We can accommodate just aboutany event in any group.
So, um, perfect right now, aswe talked about in shoulder
season, to do that staycation,because I know you know people
living inland just a bit thatyou know come on, come, come
(15:48):
down and spend the weekend withus.
So I think we we have a littlebit of everything to offer for
any type of vacation, any typeof client.
Speaker 2 (16:04):
And our motto is clean rooms and happy guests.
Speaker 3 (16:06):
So we'll make sure your vacation is great, Whatever
you're looking for.
If you want to be left alone,we'll leave you alone.
And if you want to be leftalone, we'll leave you alone.
If you want activities, we'llhook you up with the best
charter captains, the bestcruises, as much fun as you can
have.
So we try to treat every guestlike they're staying at our
(16:28):
house.
We want to make sure they enjoythe beach and just enjoy the
vibe of Fort Myers Beach.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
And come on down.
There's plenty of room downhere, plenty of things happening
and any last words for ourlisteners today.
Speaker 3 (16:42):
Well, check out.
You know, one thing we'retrying to do with our we have an
email blast every month butalso check out the chamber and
see what events are coming up.
We're trying, just like we didwith Mullet Fest.
We're trying to come up withnew and different events.
I know we had Joe Boo Fest,which goes back to Major League,
(17:06):
if you remember that movie fromback in the 80s Founder Market.
Yeah, just a bit outside.
But Joe Boo, we had a Joe BooFest at the start of hurricane
season and, knock on wood, wehaven't had any hurricanes.
So we're going to do a joburedo, I think, end of the month.
You know, as we we get in theheart of hurricane season, but
(17:28):
it's you know, it's fun, goofystuff like that that brings the
community together and, and youknow there's there's usually
something going on every weekendor every weekend down here.
So you know, check thecommunity calendars, check out
the FMB Chamber website.
Speaker 2 (17:43):
There's a lot of great stuff happening on the
beach, yeah, and it's great toget out and get involved and get
your mind off all the dramathat's going out in the world
today.
So I thank you for your timetoday, scott, thank you for
being such a good neighbor.
Thank you, yeah, we'll see youat the beach soon, all right,
all right, thanks for having me,Jim.
Speaker 3 (18:03):
Have a great day.
Speaker 1 (18:05):
Thanks for tuning in to the Fort Myers beach Good
neighbor podcast, wherecommunity meets paradise.
If you love what you heard,share it with a friend and keep
the good vibes going until nexttime.
Stay sunny, stay salty.
And keep the good vibes goingUntil next time.
Stay sunny, stay salty and keepbeing a good neighbor.
Also, to nominate your favoriteneighbors, local legends,
heroes or island businesses tobe on the show, go to
CaboWaboJimcom.
That's CaboWaboJimcom.
(18:26):
Or call 239-427-4100.
We want to send out some islandlove to Eric Tibbs from Edward
Jones State Insurance USA andHome Wellcare Services Fort
Myers.
They are the businesses thatallow us to share the soul of
our community with everylistener, from local stories to
the positive vibe of island life.
Here's to celebrating all thatmakes Fort Myers Beach the slice
(18:47):
of paradise we all love.
Welcome to the Fort Myers Beach Good Neighbor
Podcast, where the sun's alwaysshining and the stories are even
brighter.
Each episode we bring youcloser to the neighbors, local
legends and beachside businessesthat make Fort Myers Beach the
slice of paradise we all love.
Pull up a beach chair, grab adrink and let's meet the people
who make this island feel likehome.
We want to send out some islandlove to Eric Tibbs from Edward
(00:21):
Jones State Insurance, usa andHome Well Care Services Fort
Myers.
Love to Eric Tibbs from EdwardJones State Insurance, usa and
Home Well Care Services FortMyers.
They are the businesses thatallow us to share the soul of
our community with everylistener, from local stories to
the positive vibe of island life.
Here's to celebrating all thatmakes Fort Myers Beach the slice
of paradise we all love.
Here's your host, cabo, jimSchaller.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
Welcome Fort Myers Beach.
Good neighbors we're all about.
No shade, just sunshine.
Drama-free, positive vibes,only right.
That's what we're all aboutToday.
We have Good Neighbors, scottSafford from Sea Gypsy Vacation
Rentals Welcome.
Speaker 3 (00:55):
Hi, thanks for having me Good morning.
How are you doing today?
Speaker 2 (00:59):
I am doing awesome.
The sun is out, the weather isgreat, the water is clear
finally, so I'm loving it andthe sun is out.
Speaker 3 (01:06):
The weather is great, the water is clear, finally.
So I'm loving it.
That's awesome.
Yeah, we're doing great downhere.
We had a great weekend withMullet Fest and the rugby
tournament.
So you know summer break'sabout to wind down, but we're
still jamming down here.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
Lots of good things happening at the beach, right,
absolutely.
And this is the time the localscan get out and enjoy a little
bit before it gets busy againhere soon, right, absolutely.
And this is the time the localscan get out and enjoy a little
bit before it gets busy againhere soon, right?
Speaker 3 (01:28):
Yes, we used to call this our shoulder season.
We're coming into our shoulderseason, which is between the
summer season and our fullseason, and most of our guests
right now are drivable Tampa,Orlando, Miami of course, A lot
of locals just doing staycations, so it's a good diversity.
(01:50):
But what's cool this year isI've actually had some
international guests, a lot fromSouth America.
I've got some Argentiniansstaying in one of my properties
right now, so it's encouragingthat we're not only getting.
We're trying to get back towhere we were pre-Eon.
So you know a great mix ofpeople, but the vast majority,
you are correct, are locals oryou know, with a drivable three
(02:14):
hours.
Speaker 2 (02:15):
Yeah, and there's plenty to do down here.
Every day something new isopening, something new is
happening down here, so it'sgood to get people to come back
and enjoy it Well, before itgets too busy and too crazy, uh.
But, like I said, they're doinga great job down here at the
beach of doing things to invitepeople to come down, enjoy with
their family and just enjoy thegreat weather we've been having.
Speaker 3 (02:37):
can't complain weather's been fantastic not not
much rain.
It's been really, really nice,especially on the beach, and we
are trying to get you knowdifferent things every month.
You know what I look at it like.
We need the island, needs a winevery month.
So last month, in July, a big,big win.
(02:57):
The beach bar reopened, firstbuilding that rose from the
ashes of Hurricane Ian, so itwas fantastic to see them.
We kicked off August with arugby tournament that was very,
very popular pre-Ean, and thenwe came up with a new event
called Mullet Fest, which reallywas a great success.
(03:18):
And then next month, inSeptember, we're having the
Singer Songwriters.
And then, right behind that,looks like the Whale is going to
be reopening in October, whichis fantastic Same story as the
Beach Bar.
It's good to see thesebusinesses coming back.
And then, of course, inNovember, the kickoff season.
We have the Sand SculptingTournament, which is we started
(03:41):
it back up last year and it wasabsolutely fantastic.
We started it back up last yearand it was absolutely fantastic
.
And they are actuallyincreasing the scope of the
tournament and the length of thetournament.
So we've got some good momentum.
So we're getting wins all thetime.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
And that's what it is about moving forward little by
little, but moving forward isthe key.
I know we spoke a little bitearlier too about your rentals
and what you had seen in yearspast and what you're seeing
currently.
Speaker 3 (04:10):
Yeah, so it's been interesting.
You know, unfortunately, withIrma, red Tide, the pandemic and
, of course, the devastationfrom Ian, we lost a lot of our
generational or repeat business.
So we're starting kind of, youknow, at the very beginning.
(04:31):
We're trying to get new folksto come down here and we're
seeing that since Ian, ourrental pool, the one bedrooms,
tended to rent rather well twoyears ago.
People were just coming down,you down, dipping their toes.
In checking it out Last year wesaw a lot of two bedrooms so
people were able to convincetheir kids or their friends to
(04:52):
come down.
None of the big houses werereally renting.
But what we're seeing thissummer is we're seeing the
larger unit, our four bedrooms,our five bedrooms.
We're seeing families comingdown and enjoying the beach.
So we're starting to get a newgeneration of clientele and that
is, you know, of all the things, that's one of the most
(05:14):
promising.
Now the rates aren't where theywere, but right now we're just
trying to get people to comedown, experience, get a taste of
the beach, see what we have tooffer.
But it's very encouraging thatour larger inventory is moving
this year.
So I think all signs point, youknow, onward and upward.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
Yeah, and it's great when people can bring their
families here and enjoy a quietweekend at the beach.
You know in their unit, youknow off the water or whatever
it may be in their unit you know, off the water or whatever it
may be.
Speaker 3 (05:50):
We're seeing a lot of families, which is really
really great, and we can tellthat's happening because right
when school starts back up in acouple weeks, we're seeing that
traditional, you know, drop off.
But that's okay, you know weagain.
Speaker 2 (06:18):
I hope, our big hope is that these people will come
back next year, maybe even rentanother house or have a family
reunion at Thanksgiving oranother family reunion next
summer.
Now, as far as you're concerned, I know you do your walk every
morning.
Well, whenever you can, I guesswith Max on the beach.
What are you seeing down at thebeach?
Speaker 3 (06:38):
Well, the beach re-nourishment is almost done.
They've got about 10 blocks,maybe three quarters of a mile
to a mile left, but the beach istwice the size it was.
I mean beach.
It looks fantastic.
I know we had some pain gettingto that point this year, but I
(06:59):
think the end product is notonly going to be great for
tourists, but I think it's goingto protect our homes, our
businesses.
So I'm really encouraged we cansee the finish line and it's
absolutely beautiful.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
Yeah, talking about beautiful, and you know, I don't
know whether it's the lack ofdischarge or lack of rain,
whatever it may be, but thewater has been the clearest I've
seen it in a long time.
Speaker 3 (07:23):
Well, that's, you know that's.
There's a couple factors goingon.
Number one, there has been lessrain.
But number two, our localgovernment and our state
government are working hand inhand to keep the discharges from
coming down here.
And just, our water policy ingeneral has been so much better
(07:48):
over the last seven years andwe're seeing the positive
results of that.
I mean, the Southwest FloridaManagement Water District has
completely changed hands.
The flows have, you know, we'reworking with the Army Corps of
Engineers to get a differentflow schedule, obviously because
we've had less rain.
That helps, but I thinkeverybody's working together to
(08:11):
you know, to eventually sendthat water south and keep it
away from us.
And, quite frankly, miami needsmore fresh water.
We had too much, they didn'thave enough, and it's slowly
starting to change.
But I think groups likeCaptains for Clean Water, fmb,
has started their own waterfoundation, the FMB Chamber of
(08:32):
Commerce.
So the word's out and we all, Ithink, are beginning to realize
how important clean water is tous, not not only, you know, for
fishing and boating andeverything else, but it's tied
to our economy.
So I I think you know it used tobe all those crazies want clean
water.
Now it's like, everybody wantsclean water.
(08:54):
And when you go to uh, you know, when you go to an event or you
know, just hanging out withfriends the one thing we can all
agree on is we have to haveclean water.
So it it.
It has totally in, at least inFlorida.
There's there's no politicsinvolved, it's everybody,
doesn't matter what side of thefence you're on.
Everybody agrees that we haveto have clean water, and I think
(09:16):
we're.
You know we're seeing thatchange now and I think in 10, 15
years the water for mygrandkids is going to be much
better than it is now, andthat's a real positive.
Speaker 2 (09:28):
Yeah, yeah, what are we guys doing?
It's great and I'm like I loveit.
I love going to the beach andbeing able to see my feet and
seeing what's in the water.
Speaker 3 (09:43):
Sometimes I don't, sometimes it's in the water.
It's crazy.
I mean, they're, uh, this timeof year, off off my, off my dock
, you can barely see, and now I,some some days I can see the
bottom, which that doesn'thappen except in, you know, late
february, early march, and nowwe're seeing it, you know, in
july and during rainy season.
So it's, it's super encouraging, but you know, again, it, it
everybody's got to do their partand I, I think, um, I think you
(10:05):
know we're all in I hate to usewe're all in this together, but
look, we have to have cleanwater.
It's, it's, it's a must.
Yeah, it's like you have tohave oxygen breathe and we need
clean water to have a vibrantcommunity and economy.
Speaker 2 (10:25):
It makes a big difference.
Talking about that as far asgiving back, I mean I know
you're part of the council andeverything, but what can other
people do to help give back andget involved?
Speaker 3 (10:32):
in the Fort Myers community.
If you want to get involvedwith clean water, you go check
out captains for clean, cleanwater.
I think that's the first groupthat comes to mind.
I mean these, these guys startright after irma, during the red
tide there, and so it's almosteight, nine, ten years now that
and they were in their late 20s.
But if you ever say, hey, Ican't make a difference, these
(10:55):
two guys that started captainsfor clean water have made a
difference.
So you know they're.
They're still fighting, I meanevery day they're.
I mean they're trying to build.
These two guys that startedCaptains for Clean Water have
made a difference.
They're still fighting everyday.
They're trying to build a rockmine in the Everglades.
These guys get wind of it.
They're sending petitions,they're going to meetings,
they're really active.
I think that's a good startingpoint.
(11:15):
Of course, the EvergladesFoundation is great.
Check out the FMB ChambersWater Foundation.
They just got a couple testingstations on the island.
One is at the Mound House.
So it's really cool howeverybody's getting involved,
(11:37):
not just one or two individuals,but it seems like the whole
community is getting it.
Speaker 2 (11:52):
I think I locked up there for a second.
That's okay.
Did you get all that?
The very end of it cut off alittle bit.
So if you want to try to cleanit up at the end there, just
finish your last sentence, maybe, I think.
Speaker 3 (12:09):
I'm getting involved it.
Just it takes everyone to getinvolved.
But even just understandingwhat's going on with the
Everglades and what Captains forClean Water is trying to
accomplish, I think just someknowledge and understanding that
you know red tide is a naturalevent, but when you dump all
(12:32):
this water with phosphates andeverything else, it just
accelerates it.
So we're trying to keep thatflow.
We're trying to keep cleanerwater coming down the
Caloosahatchee.
Speaker 2 (12:44):
It makes a difference .
It absolutely does.
I know your schedule's beenvery demanding lately.
You've been spreading, you'vegot a lot going on, but outside
of work, what do you enjoy doing?
Do you have a secret spot youlike to go to and maybe grab a
cocktail and watch the sunset?
Speaker 3 (13:03):
Well, my quote-unquote office, my home
away from home, is the beach bar, but that's you know.
I try to get out um on our boatand you know my dog Mac, and my
other dog, dudley, we we lovejumping the boat and go down the
dog beach and hang out now, bylover's key and, yes, even just
(13:24):
a quick afternoon on the watercan can just take the stress out
of your life and we just boatin the back bay and sometimes
we'll get adventurous and and goup to kayak Costa or North cap
and but just being on the boatyou know, a couple of times a
month is is really good for thesoul and good for the mind to
(13:46):
clear your head.
Speaker 2 (13:48):
Yeah, I'm with you.
I spend a spend a day on theevery weekend at the beach just
to unwind and ground myself andjust to enjoy what, why we live
here.
Right, you know, can we?
Speaker 3 (13:58):
get away from everything, put that phone on,
do not disturb, and just youknow, let your staff know.
I'm blessed that I have areally, really good staff.
We've been together for anumber of years.
We all trust each other.
We all know that personal time,family time, is important.
Just to get that, you know, hitthat reset button.
(14:20):
So you know you work hard, youplay hard, but you have to have
some relaxation and some justrecharge your battery time too,
and that's super important.
Speaker 2 (14:32):
Absolutely, absolutely.
So talking again about businessand Sea Gypsy, what if people
wanted to come visit Fort MyersBeach and wanted to check out
what you have to offer?
How would they go aboutcontacting you?
Speaker 3 (14:45):
They can check out our website at gypsyvacationcom.
They can check out our Facebookpage.
They can check out ourInstagram page.
Just get a feel for what wehave page.
Just get a feel for what wehave.
As we've said in the past, Ithink we're able to offer any
type of vacation.
If you're looking for thatweekend studio, one bedroom
(15:06):
apartment getaway, we've gotthat.
If there's a small familycoming down, we have some great
two bedroom and three bedroomapartments and condos, and then
we've got some huge, massivehouses on the beach.
So if you're looking toentertain for a wedding, for a
family reunion, if you're comingdown for a baseball tournament,
(15:26):
you want all the wives stayingthere and the kids well, dad and
the son are out playingbaseball we can do that.
We can accommodate just aboutany event in any group.
So, um, perfect right now, aswe talked about in shoulder
season, to do that staycation,because I know you know people
living inland just a bit thatyou know come on, come, come
(15:48):
down and spend the weekend withus.
So I think we we have a littlebit of everything to offer for
any type of vacation, any typeof client.
Speaker 2 (16:04):
And our motto is clean rooms and happy guests.
Speaker 3 (16:06):
So we'll make sure your vacation is great, Whatever
you're looking for.
If you want to be left alone,we'll leave you alone.
And if you want to be leftalone, we'll leave you alone.
If you want activities, we'llhook you up with the best
charter captains, the bestcruises, as much fun as you can
have.
So we try to treat every guestlike they're staying at our
(16:28):
house.
We want to make sure they enjoythe beach and just enjoy the
vibe of Fort Myers Beach.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
And come on down.
There's plenty of room downhere, plenty of things happening
and any last words for ourlisteners today.
Speaker 3 (16:42):
Well, check out.
You know, one thing we'retrying to do with our we have an
email blast every month butalso check out the chamber and
see what events are coming up.
We're trying, just like we didwith Mullet Fest.
We're trying to come up withnew and different events.
I know we had Joe Boo Fest,which goes back to Major League,
(17:06):
if you remember that movie fromback in the 80s Founder Market.
Yeah, just a bit outside.
But Joe Boo, we had a Joe BooFest at the start of hurricane
season and, knock on wood, wehaven't had any hurricanes.
So we're going to do a joburedo, I think, end of the month.
You know, as we we get in theheart of hurricane season, but
(17:28):
it's you know, it's fun, goofystuff like that that brings the
community together and, and youknow there's there's usually
something going on every weekendor every weekend down here.
So you know, check thecommunity calendars, check out
the FMB Chamber website.
Speaker 2 (17:43):
There's a lot of great stuff happening on the
beach, yeah, and it's great toget out and get involved and get
your mind off all the dramathat's going out in the world
today.
So I thank you for your timetoday, scott, thank you for
being such a good neighbor.
Thank you, yeah, we'll see youat the beach soon, all right,
all right, thanks for having me,Jim.
Speaker 3 (18:03):
Have a great day.
Speaker 1 (18:05):
Thanks for tuning in to the Fort Myers beach Good
neighbor podcast, wherecommunity meets paradise.
If you love what you heard,share it with a friend and keep
the good vibes going until nexttime.
Stay sunny, stay salty.
And keep the good vibes goingUntil next time.
Stay sunny, stay salty and keepbeing a good neighbor.
Also, to nominate your favoriteneighbors, local legends,
heroes or island businesses tobe on the show, go to
CaboWaboJimcom.
That's CaboWaboJimcom.
(18:26):
Or call 239-427-4100.
We want to send out some islandlove to Eric Tibbs from Edward
Jones State Insurance USA andHome Wellcare Services Fort
Myers.
They are the businesses thatallow us to share the soul of
our community with everylistener, from local stories to
the positive vibe of island life.
Here's to celebrating all thatmakes Fort Myers Beach the slice
(18:47):
of paradise we all love.
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