December 13, 2025 • 24 mins
Shovel-ready isn’t enough when your town lives on salt air, neighborly kindness, and a street-level rhythm that makes strangers feel welcome. We sit down with realtor and community builder Dennis Wagaman to map out how Fort Myers Beach can bring back small and mid-sized commercial spaces without losing what makes the island feel like home. The plan is simple to say and hard to do: respect the vibe, modernize where the codes demand it, and find reasonable middle ground so projects actually pencil.
We unpack why Fort Myers Beach behaves like a micro market—more investors and absentee owners, different price drivers, and a sharper focus on highest and best use. Dennis explains the friction between a comprehensive plan written before elevated building rules and the real-world need to replace lost ground-level space. No one’s asking for skyscrapers; the goal is controlled, complementary growth that gives local entrepreneurs real storefronts, creates jobs, and restores a walkable main street for residents and returning visitors. Tourism is back, traffic is a reality, and that’s a good problem when it funds a resilient, service-rich community.
Community energy is rising too. Dennis highlights What’s Up FMB, a new alliance hosting events that showcase local businesses—think lantern festivals, summer fireworks, and reasons to explore beyond the shoreline. Add classic island moments like dolphin-chasing boat rides, quiet northern sunsets, and a lineup of favorite restaurants, and you see the path forward: keep the people the same while the buildings get smarter. If you care about coastal redevelopment, local small business revival, and the future of Fort Myers Beach, this conversation gives you clear context and practical optimism.
Subscribe for more neighbor-first stories, share this with someone who loves the island, and leave a review with one idea you think would help small businesses reopen faster.
Realty One Group MVP - The Pier Group
Dennis Wagaman
5237 Summerlin Commons Blvd
Fort Myers, FL 33907
Mobile: (239) 940-7749
dwswfl@gmail.com
Website
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Intro/Close (00:00):
Welcome to the fortified speed negative
podcast.
No shade is the five.
Positive five.
Local negative local papers.
What is the island of charactersevery day?
(00:23):
We are the good neighbors andbusinesses that allow us to
share the soul of our communitywith every listener and local
stories of divided island life.
Here's a celebrating hall thatmakes Fort Mighty's Beach the
lights of paradise we all love.
Make this island feel like home.
With your host, Cabo JimmyCheller.
Cabo Jim (00:42):
Welcome, Fort Miters Beach, good neighbors.
Today we have good neighborDennis Wagaman from uh Reality
One Group MVP and his newlyformed the peer group, correct?
Absolutely, yes.
Good morning, Jim.
Yeah, pleasure to have you onand share your story with our
listeners here.
So uh without further ado,you've made a big change
(01:02):
recently.
So uh let's jump right in andwhy don't you share a little bit
about what you're doingcurrently?
SPEAKER_01 (01:08):
Sure, thank you very much.
Uh yeah, there's um you know uha big need, a huge need actually
on the island for small andmid-sized commercial
redevelopment.
Um, you know, places like thethe you know, the small
businesses, they need brick andmortar to work out of.
Um, and we don't have that rightnow.
(01:29):
We have a lot of vacant lotsthat are commercial lots that
need to be redeveloped.
Um, and that is really uh veryimportant for our island's
economy and just you know,quality of life on the beach as
well.
Um, visually, it's certainlygoing to be a lot better once we
get some of these uh rebuilt.
So that's my mission now is tofocus on getting our small and
(01:50):
mid-sized commercial sectorsrebuilt.
So that's why I formed the peergroup.
This is my focus.
I'm partnering with anotherorganization uh called Spring
Lake Capital.
And uh we've got some niceprojects already lined up that
we're redeveloping at this time,um, and some more things in the
pipeline that we're working on.
So again, we're really focusedon this because our vacationers,
(02:12):
you know, let's face it, theylove our island, they keep
coming back.
Um, we want to give themsomething nicer than you know
the food trucks to go and enjoya nice meal in.
Uh although they're great rightnow, I hang out at them myself.
Um, Mojo's is my favorite.
I'll just say that right outloud.
Uh, awesome people there, youknow, great food.
Uh I love the avocado toast,they take great care of me.
(02:36):
Um, so but we want to give thema building to operate out of.
So that's the mission I'm onright now.
Cabo Jim (02:44):
And the dog likes that too.
I like it.
That's my boy, Sonny.
SPEAKER_01 (02:48):
Yeah, right, right.
Perfect timing.
Someone comes to the door todrop off a package.
Cabo Jim (02:53):
Right, there you go.
He's watching the house.
That's a good thing.
SPEAKER_01 (02:56):
But but we need uh that's some of my uh actually,
some of my for sale signs justgot delivered.
Cabo Jim (03:02):
No, there you go.
We we need to get them out inthe neighborhood then, right?
I love it.
I love it.
So, like you mentioned, I mean,you know, we do need a lot of
those small to medium-sizedbusinesses coming back, you
know.
Absolutely, absolutely.
So, why Fort Myers Beach?
SPEAKER_01 (03:21):
I mean, uh, how long have you been here?
Uh, I've been here in uh in thisarea since 2015.
Okay, and my wife and Irelocated down here.
We've always like a lot offolks, you know, we've heard
this story a lot of times, yeah,you know, want to retire down
here, just love the area, uh,love the community, um, just
love the whole Southwest Floridavibe, you know.
(03:42):
Um, just lay back, relax, goodpeople.
Um, so uh, but I've been in realestate specifically since 2019
on Fort Myers Beach, and um justlove it.
Um and as uh I guess as corny asit might sound, it's absolutely
the fact.
You know, there's sun, surf, andsand all over the world,
(04:02):
literally, right?
I mean, beautiful places allover the world.
And I've been I've beenfortunate to travel you know a
little bit in my time.
But um, I've never been anywhereelse in my life where the people
are just so amazing.
And I mean that from my heart.
I just met some of the nicestpeople, most down-to-earth
people um ever on Fort MyersBeach, and it's just so
(04:24):
refreshing.
You know, it's just a refreshinglifestyle.
You know, um, if somebody'swalking across the street down
here, we don't honk horns andyou know wave at everybody with
the wrong finger, right?
Yeah, we just kind of slow down,relax, let them pass
comfortably, and then we go onour way, you know.
We sort of hold doors open foreach other, say please and thank
you.
(04:44):
We sort of know how to behave,and that's just a refreshing way
to live.
And I just love it.
Just love it.
Cabo Jim (04:49):
It's a different lifestyle, it's a much calmer,
you know, and friendlier.
And that's I and I appreciatelike what you're trying to do
because we do need a lot ofthose businesses to create that
sense of community, you know.
No, absolutely.
SPEAKER_01 (05:02):
And there's there's a lot of great, smart,
hardworking, dedicated businessowners on the island, also.
Um, that yeah, they're here forbusiness.
Let's face it, we're not herefor the practice, okay.
But they choose to dedicatethemselves and be committed to
what they're doing.
Uh, and they care about theisland.
Whenever you know there's aneed, people just rally.
(05:24):
You know, it's like a given.
It's it's it's a second nature,no one has to really think about
it, it just sort of happens.
Okay, so those are those aresome of the things that I just
find uh so appealing and sowonderful about the island.
Cabo Jim (05:38):
Well, yeah, and you know, and to anybody else, you
know, having a business, workingon the island, living on the
island sounds like a dream.
But you know, we've we've dealtwith a lot of storms and a lot
of issues, personally andprofessionally.
Um what's what have you gonethrough to get where you are
today?
SPEAKER_01 (05:58):
Uh tremendous learning curve.
The island is a unique product,if you will, and they and the
big picture, you know, up at theheadline banner of real estate.
Okay, we're a very uniquemarket.
We're a micro market.
We do not behave like othertraditional organic neighborhood
type markets, even as close asright across in the mainland,
(06:22):
you know, in Fort Myers, CapeCoral, um, these other markets,
completely different behaviors.
Um the overwhelming majority ofproperty on the island is owned
by absentee owners.
Uh, it's owned by someone whohas their second, third, fourth,
fifth, sixth, seventh vacationhome.
Um, a lot of properties areowned by investors.
(06:44):
Um, a lot of properties areowned by groups of investors.
So there's a completelydifferent dynamic down here.
So, what does that mean?
That means people are generallyspeaking, again, we're not
talking about the wonderfulresidents and the people who
live here.
That's a that's a different setof circumstances there.
But for the other part thatdrives the majority of our
(07:06):
business and our activity on theisland being uh absentee owners,
that means they're buying andselling their properties using
the mindset of discretionarymoney or investment capital.
This isn't their primaryresidence where you can have
completely different driversmaking our decisions.
Okay.
So what else does that mean?
(07:26):
That means that properties onthe island are not as subject to
the swings in the market as theyare when we're talking about a
generic neighborhood, or excuseme, a organic neighborhood or an
organic marketplace.
Again, completely differentdrivers making uh different
(07:47):
decisions based on differentparameters.
So that's what we need tounderstand about the island.
Um, you know, price points aredifferent on the BH.
Uh, we look at rate ofappreciation calculated into ROI
when we're looking at investmentopportunity.
And we're also looking at, youknow, what can the highest and
best use be of a property on theisland relative to the current
(08:09):
zoning, relative to um how theproperty needs to be situated on
the on the um on the lot thatwe're developing?
So there's a lot of drivers, alot of decision-making points
that go into this level of themarket that you know isn't
prevalent in the in the uh moreresidential area.
Cabo Jim (08:28):
Absolutely.
And you know, kind of alongthose same lines, do you see
certain things, you know, Iguess sensing trending and
obviously changing, right?
SPEAKER_01 (08:37):
Oh, golly.
Um how much time do we have?
Okay.
Uh obviously a lot a lot a lotof things are changing.
Um unfortunately, and certainlynot how any of us would have
ever wanted it to happen.
Um but uh you know the island weneed to kind of redevelop, we
(08:59):
need to regroup.
We can't forget our past, can'tforget our our our our history.
Um, but we we need to lookforward, you know.
We need to look forward.
Um that means could look forwardwith controlled, managed, and
reasonable growth.
Um, not 100-story skyscrapers onthe golf front.
(09:20):
Nobody wants to see that.
Um, our focus also in ourredevelopment strategy is to do
things that are complementary tothe community, to do things that
are within the scope of zoningum with the community, um, to be
an asset complement to thecommunity.
I love the island, so do thefolks I'm working with.
(09:42):
You know, they were here beforeIan because they they saw an
opportunity and they love thebeach as well.
So we're looking to do things umin a manner that's complementary
to the beach, not conflictingwith the uh the the vibe of the
fort of Fort Myers Beach.
The thing that uh I believeneeds to be uh shared is that uh
(10:04):
the comp plan, the current compplan in the town, um was written
and and and and implementedbefore the current building
codes were written.
So the current building codesrequire, of course, everything
to be elevated, the livingspace, air conditioned, heated
space.
We can't have any improvementagain.
(10:25):
Generally speaking, there'sexceptions or things here, but
I'm talking just generallyspeaking, when we're talking
concepts, design, anddevelopment.
There um you can't have anyliving space on the ground
floor, so everything needs to beelevated.
However, the comp plan has notyet been adjusted to compensate
for this.
You know, the original comp plandidn't contemplate uh having uh
(10:50):
a property elevated, so nowwe're taking away the ground
level occupancy, but there'sbeen nothing added up top to
compensate for that.
So now there's a squeeze herebecause you know, obviously you
know, things need to makefinancial sense or nothing's
going to happen.
Okay, that doesn't mean somebodyneeds to make a gazillion
(11:12):
dollars off of each and everydeal.
Of course not.
It has to be reasonable, buteverything needs to be done
within reason to adjust andrecognize the the things that
need to be um uh adjusted to touh make deals work and and get
things rolling here for us.
And the town to their credit hasbeen very reasonable as well, I
(11:34):
believe, in um in what they'repermitting and what they're
approving.
Um overall, I think they've beenvery reasonable with that for
our project, for example, andsome other projects that we have
coming.
Cabo Jim (11:47):
Yeah, and things are gonna change, you know.
Unfortunately, you know, uhwe're in that that period where
things are gonna evolve, thingsare gonna change, but we do want
to not lose that sense ofcommunity of what maybe Fort
Myers beat is very special to alot of people and families.
Yep.
SPEAKER_01 (12:03):
No, absolutely.
I think Dan Aller said it thebest.
Uh the audience is gonna staythe same, the people are gonna
stay the same.
The only thing that's gonnachange are the buildings, you
know.
So uh give him credit wherecredit's due.
That's it.
Focus, focus on the positive.
That's it.
Yep.
And and we're seeing tourism.
Tourism is um, you know, thefolks are still coming back, as
we know.
(12:24):
I mean, um, I'll never forget,I'll never forget this.
Back now, this was during COVID.
You know, we were we were shutdown for a little while, and
after we reopened, I was intraffic on Astera Boulevard in
July.
And I was sitting there, I Ihave uh an SUV, so I got a big
(12:44):
you know, armrester, I have mylaptop up, and I'm in traffic,
I'm working, and all of a suddenit struck me, I'm in a traffic
jam.
I'm in a traffic jam, right?
You know, right?
I've never felt so good to be ina traffic jam as to when I was
in that one post-COVID or duringCOVID here, rather.
It's the same feeling now.
(13:05):
People are coming back, we're intraffic jams, thank goodness.
And let's face it, we're anisland in a gulf, a beautiful
island in a beautiful part ofthe world.
Yeah, there's gonna be traffic.
People are gonna kind of want tocome and hang out with us,
right?
So, uh, yeah, we're gonna havesome traffic.
We just have to do the best wecan with it.
And just that's life here.
Cabo Jim (13:26):
Yep, and welcome them and let them enjoy the paradise
that we you know, we appreciateyour round.
So exactly.
Now I know you do a lot with thecommunity because I see you out
and about uh quite a bit.
Is there anything that you'reinvolved with currently as far
as maybe giving back to thecommunity or helping the
community?
SPEAKER_01 (13:44):
Well, uh, yeah, I there was a recently formed
alliance called What's Up FMB.
Um, and I was um asked to jointhe board there.
And uh the mission of what's upFMB is to uh support, showcase,
feature local small businessesby holding events.
(14:07):
Um there was the first, thekickoff one was the mullet
madness, um, which was just ascream.
And I I I give kudos to Dawn uhMiller.
Um this was Dawn's brainchild,and she's a very focused, very
committed, very energetic, andand um very savvy person.
(14:30):
She's very sharp.
And uh so this was herbrainchild, and we got
everything for she goteverything formed rather, and uh
it's growing very nicely.
What's up, FMB?
So keep your eyes out for that.
Uh there's gonna be a lot ofevents coming.
The uh lantern festival that wasjust held um in November was
amazing, it's just beautiful.
(14:50):
Uh, so we're talking about youknow, maybe some firework events
coming up, maybe 4th of Julythat we're gonna be involved in.
You know, keep your ears openfor that.
Um, all the businesses aroundtown, you're welcome and
invited, and please come andjoin us at WhatsApp FMB.
Um, we're gonna be showcasinglocal businesses through events
(15:12):
and through a lot of uh we havea great website that was just
launched, as well as an amazingwebsite.
We have social media presence.
So, you know, like and followus, spread the word.
It's uh it's great for theisland.
And we're we're you know, we'rewe're doing this like in concert
with and in complement with theChamber of Commerce as well.
(15:33):
You know, we're we're workingclosely with with the chamber.
Uh, we're we're all in thistogether.
There's uh you know just waysthat we can support everyone,
and this is a manner that we uhwe saw fit to do that.
Cabo Jim (15:44):
I love it.
You know, just giving people uhanother reason to come to the
beach and and visit the beach,and there's good things
happening here, and uh there'smore than just the beach,
there's other things going on,but uh absolutely I love it.
She's done a great job withthat.
So kudos to her on that.
So you mentioned you were heresince what 2015.
(16:05):
Where are you from originally?
SPEAKER_01 (16:07):
Um, originally from a little town in Pennsylvania
named Manchester, Pennsylvania.
Very small town.
We got our first traffic lightin 1977, you know.
Interesting.
Wow, right a red light on thesquare in uh in our small town,
and it was and then yeah, it itchanged, it changed after that,
(16:27):
right?
Cabo Jim (16:28):
It uh a little bit, yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (16:29):
Well that's three traffic, three traffic lights.
Cabo Jim (16:31):
Well, there you go.
It's a big city now, metropolis.
There we go.
SPEAKER_01 (16:34):
It was a great way to grow up out in the rural
countryside.
You know, I was grew up infarming areas, and you know, I
lived that growing up lifestylewhere you know you left in the
morning with your friends andwent and ran around all day and
spending home before the streetlights came on.
You know, mom and dad were weregood with that.
Cabo Jim (16:51):
And they didn't know where you were all day, right?
SPEAKER_01 (16:53):
Exactly.
But you know, everybody kneweach other.
We were playing ball or runningaround in the woods hiking or
lifting up rocks in the creektrying to catch salamanders,
yeah.
Cabo Jim (17:03):
Absolutely, yeah.
The good old days, right?
Right, absolutely.
So, speaking about that, I Iknow you're very very busy, man.
You got a lot on your platecurrently, but uh when you do
get a moment of free time, whatdo you enjoy doing outside of
work?
SPEAKER_01 (17:17):
Just hanging out with my wife.
Um doing things with my wife,traveling around a little bit.
We we love the little getawayweekends to uh, you know,
somewhere local or a quick planeride away.
We enjoy going to small,charming, quaint towns and you
know, just uh relaxing there,you know, kind of like this uh
uh uh Fort Myers Beach, maybe upin the mountains, you know, with
(17:39):
a small town where people arehanging out, enjoying life
together.
Um, you know, we've we've got afew places that we've identified
that we really enjoy.
One is up in Georgia called LAJ,Georgia, and it's uh just a
really cool, quaint small townup in the mountains of North
Georgia.
Um, places like that.
Cabo Jim (17:57):
Very good, very good.
So without giving away all yoursecrets, uh is there something
you would recommend peoplecoming to visit uh Fort Myers
Beach that they get out and door get out and see or visit?
SPEAKER_01 (18:10):
Oh, just I I where to begin with that one too.
How much time do you have?
You know, um I love the boattours.
I like I like the boat tours,you know.
So you can get out and reallysee the beauty of this island
from the water and all theplaces where you know we don't
get an opportunity to see,obviously, from the land as
we're driving up and down astair boulevard.
(18:30):
Um, I think that's uh somethingthat people really need to
experience.
And nothing beats.
I mean, how many times have weall been in a boat and in the
wake we see dolphins playing inthe boat wake?
Right?
Does that ever get old?
Does that ever get old?
Never, never, of course not.
So you know go take a boat ride,play with some dolphins, forget
(18:53):
about whatever it is that mightbe troubling you for a little
while.
Um, enjoy the beauty of thewater.
You know, it's it's it relaxesour soul, right?
And it's just an experience thatyou it's just hard to beat.
It's hard to be.
Um and then uh you know, you'vegot to get out and and go to
some of the local spots and rubelbows with some of the local
(19:16):
folks and just you know hang outwith some people and have a
great conversation with someonewho you've never met before, but
you walk away friends, you know,that type of experience.
Um I also love the uh um oh upat Botage Point, the beach up
there.
Um great spot for uh sunsets umover Sanibel.
(19:39):
You know, it's just a perfectspot for that, in my opinion.
Uh kind of like a little secretspot that not everyone really
goes and hangs out at, whichmystifies me because I think
it's awesome up there.
Um so those are those are somethings I would encourage folks
to do.
Check out, we've got someawesome restaurants in this
area, too.
I mean, just for foodies, it'sgreat.
Of course, you The whale thatcame back.
(20:01):
Um, anything they make there isfantastic.
They really have a high level ofuh quality on everything they do
there.
Um, so it doesn't surprise metheir food's just you know a
home run.
Uh we have Doc Fords.
Doc Fords has an amazing menu,amazing foods there.
Um, pardon me, Dixie Fish House.
(20:21):
Okay.
Um I can go on and on.
Those are some of the those aresome of the the top spots that
come to mind of you know, youmust go here type places.
Um and just relax and enjoy lifea little bit.
Cabo Jim (20:35):
That's what it's all about down here.
So so getting back to business,is there one thing that you wish
our listeners knew about whatyou're doing currently uh with
the peer group that uh maybethey're not too aware of?
SPEAKER_01 (20:48):
Just um, golly, good question.
Um be aware of, I guess if Icould share anything, and this
is maybe a little delicate, butwe have to find a balance on the
island.
We have to find a balance.
As I shared with us with withyou, excuse me, as I shared with
(21:09):
you a bit earlier, um, you know,redeveloping the island is
challenging.
Um for a number of differentreasons.
As I mentioned, uh the heightissues, okay.
We we we hear a lot of people,and sometimes rightfully so, and
sometimes, you know, this is agood argument, a good
discussion, a good debate tohave um about height issues.
(21:33):
Sometimes, however, it'snecessary in today's market for
a new development to be acertain minimum height before it
makes any financial sense toeven do the project.
So we can either decide tocontinue looking at vacant
parcels and you know some rubblehere and there and overgrown
(21:55):
weeds and things like that,which has its place in some
areas, um, or we can we can flexa little bit, we can adjust a
little bit and just find thatmiddle ground.
Let's face it, the reality ismost of the time the right
answer lies in the middle.
Okay, we can't have any extremethinking on one end or the
other, or nothing will everwork.
(22:16):
We all know that.
So let's just kind of worktowards the middle and and where
what can we do where we're allwhere we're all good, where
we're all happy, okay, wherewe're where we can find
agreement.
If there's one message I couldput out there, it's that let's
just figure it out together andand let's not take the extremes
on one side or the other.
Cabo Jim (22:37):
I love it, I love it.
A little compromise, positivevibes, it's what it's all about.
How would the listeners go aboutcontacting you if they had
questions, you know, uh wantedto buy you a drink down by the
beach?
SPEAKER_01 (22:50):
Sure, absolutely.
Um, I my phone number is239-940-7749.
Can reach me there anytime, textme.
Um anytime I can help anybody,even if it's just a question, it
doesn't have to be a deal,right?
Um, it's just a question I canhelp you with, you know.
(23:11):
Don't hesitate.
I don't know it all, but I'mhappy to share with you what I
do know and help you any way Ican.
Cabo Jim (23:16):
Very good, very good.
Dennis, it's been a pleasuregetting to know you.
Thank you for being such a goodneighbor, and we're gonna see
you out of the beach here soon.
SPEAKER_01 (23:24):
Absolutely.
See you, Jim.
Bye, everybody.
Intro/Close (23:26):
Thanks for tuning in to the Fort Myers Beach Good
Neighbor podcast.
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the good vibes going.
Until next time, remember tohobble, until you wobble, and
keep being a good neighbor.
Also, to nominate your favoriteneighbors, local legends,
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Go to FMBGoodneighbor.com.
That's FMBGoodneighbor.com ortwo three nine four two seven
(23:48):
four one zero zero.
Want to send up I would love toerror tips from Edward Jones,
State Insurance USA, the TV PuffFort Fires B.
We are the good neighbors andbusinesses that allow us to
share the soul of our communitywith every listener and promote
the stories of the positive vibeof island life.
Here's the celebration of thebig Fort Fires beef with the
place of paradise we all love.
Welcome to the fortified speed negative
podcast.
No shade is the five.
Positive five.
Local negative local papers.
What is the island of charactersevery day?
(00:23):
We are the good neighbors andbusinesses that allow us to
share the soul of our communitywith every listener and local
stories of divided island life.
Here's a celebrating hall thatmakes Fort Mighty's Beach the
lights of paradise we all love.
Make this island feel like home.
With your host, Cabo JimmyCheller.
Cabo Jim (00:42):
Welcome, Fort Miters Beach, good neighbors.
Today we have good neighborDennis Wagaman from uh Reality
One Group MVP and his newlyformed the peer group, correct?
Absolutely, yes.
Good morning, Jim.
Yeah, pleasure to have you onand share your story with our
listeners here.
So uh without further ado,you've made a big change
(01:02):
recently.
So uh let's jump right in andwhy don't you share a little bit
about what you're doingcurrently?
SPEAKER_01 (01:08):
Sure, thank you very much.
Uh yeah, there's um you know uha big need, a huge need actually
on the island for small andmid-sized commercial
redevelopment.
Um, you know, places like thethe you know, the small
businesses, they need brick andmortar to work out of.
Um, and we don't have that rightnow.
(01:29):
We have a lot of vacant lotsthat are commercial lots that
need to be redeveloped.
Um, and that is really uh veryimportant for our island's
economy and just you know,quality of life on the beach as
well.
Um, visually, it's certainlygoing to be a lot better once we
get some of these uh rebuilt.
So that's my mission now is tofocus on getting our small and
(01:50):
mid-sized commercial sectorsrebuilt.
So that's why I formed the peergroup.
This is my focus.
I'm partnering with anotherorganization uh called Spring
Lake Capital.
And uh we've got some niceprojects already lined up that
we're redeveloping at this time,um, and some more things in the
pipeline that we're working on.
So again, we're really focusedon this because our vacationers,
(02:12):
you know, let's face it, theylove our island, they keep
coming back.
Um, we want to give themsomething nicer than you know
the food trucks to go and enjoya nice meal in.
Uh although they're great rightnow, I hang out at them myself.
Um, Mojo's is my favorite.
I'll just say that right outloud.
Uh, awesome people there, youknow, great food.
Uh I love the avocado toast,they take great care of me.
(02:36):
Um, so but we want to give thema building to operate out of.
So that's the mission I'm onright now.
Cabo Jim (02:44):
And the dog likes that too.
I like it.
That's my boy, Sonny.
SPEAKER_01 (02:48):
Yeah, right, right.
Perfect timing.
Someone comes to the door todrop off a package.
Cabo Jim (02:53):
Right, there you go.
He's watching the house.
That's a good thing.
SPEAKER_01 (02:56):
But but we need uh that's some of my uh actually,
some of my for sale signs justgot delivered.
Cabo Jim (03:02):
No, there you go.
We we need to get them out inthe neighborhood then, right?
I love it.
I love it.
So, like you mentioned, I mean,you know, we do need a lot of
those small to medium-sizedbusinesses coming back, you
know.
Absolutely, absolutely.
So, why Fort Myers Beach?
SPEAKER_01 (03:21):
I mean, uh, how long have you been here?
Uh, I've been here in uh in thisarea since 2015.
Okay, and my wife and Irelocated down here.
We've always like a lot offolks, you know, we've heard
this story a lot of times, yeah,you know, want to retire down
here, just love the area, uh,love the community, um, just
love the whole Southwest Floridavibe, you know.
(03:42):
Um, just lay back, relax, goodpeople.
Um, so uh, but I've been in realestate specifically since 2019
on Fort Myers Beach, and um justlove it.
Um and as uh I guess as corny asit might sound, it's absolutely
the fact.
You know, there's sun, surf, andsand all over the world,
(04:02):
literally, right?
I mean, beautiful places allover the world.
And I've been I've beenfortunate to travel you know a
little bit in my time.
But um, I've never been anywhereelse in my life where the people
are just so amazing.
And I mean that from my heart.
I just met some of the nicestpeople, most down-to-earth
people um ever on Fort MyersBeach, and it's just so
(04:24):
refreshing.
You know, it's just a refreshinglifestyle.
You know, um, if somebody'swalking across the street down
here, we don't honk horns andyou know wave at everybody with
the wrong finger, right?
Yeah, we just kind of slow down,relax, let them pass
comfortably, and then we go onour way, you know.
We sort of hold doors open foreach other, say please and thank
you.
(04:44):
We sort of know how to behave,and that's just a refreshing way
to live.
And I just love it.
Just love it.
Cabo Jim (04:49):
It's a different lifestyle, it's a much calmer,
you know, and friendlier.
And that's I and I appreciatelike what you're trying to do
because we do need a lot ofthose businesses to create that
sense of community, you know.
No, absolutely.
SPEAKER_01 (05:02):
And there's there's a lot of great, smart,
hardworking, dedicated businessowners on the island, also.
Um, that yeah, they're here forbusiness.
Let's face it, we're not herefor the practice, okay.
But they choose to dedicatethemselves and be committed to
what they're doing.
Uh, and they care about theisland.
Whenever you know there's aneed, people just rally.
(05:24):
You know, it's like a given.
It's it's it's a second nature,no one has to really think about
it, it just sort of happens.
Okay, so those are those aresome of the things that I just
find uh so appealing and sowonderful about the island.
Cabo Jim (05:38):
Well, yeah, and you know, and to anybody else, you
know, having a business, workingon the island, living on the
island sounds like a dream.
But you know, we've we've dealtwith a lot of storms and a lot
of issues, personally andprofessionally.
Um what's what have you gonethrough to get where you are
today?
SPEAKER_01 (05:58):
Uh tremendous learning curve.
The island is a unique product,if you will, and they and the
big picture, you know, up at theheadline banner of real estate.
Okay, we're a very uniquemarket.
We're a micro market.
We do not behave like othertraditional organic neighborhood
type markets, even as close asright across in the mainland,
(06:22):
you know, in Fort Myers, CapeCoral, um, these other markets,
completely different behaviors.
Um the overwhelming majority ofproperty on the island is owned
by absentee owners.
Uh, it's owned by someone whohas their second, third, fourth,
fifth, sixth, seventh vacationhome.
Um, a lot of properties areowned by investors.
(06:44):
Um, a lot of properties areowned by groups of investors.
So there's a completelydifferent dynamic down here.
So, what does that mean?
That means people are generallyspeaking, again, we're not
talking about the wonderfulresidents and the people who
live here.
That's a that's a different setof circumstances there.
But for the other part thatdrives the majority of our
(07:06):
business and our activity on theisland being uh absentee owners,
that means they're buying andselling their properties using
the mindset of discretionarymoney or investment capital.
This isn't their primaryresidence where you can have
completely different driversmaking our decisions.
Okay.
So what else does that mean?
(07:26):
That means that properties onthe island are not as subject to
the swings in the market as theyare when we're talking about a
generic neighborhood, or excuseme, a organic neighborhood or an
organic marketplace.
Again, completely differentdrivers making uh different
(07:47):
decisions based on differentparameters.
So that's what we need tounderstand about the island.
Um, you know, price points aredifferent on the BH.
Uh, we look at rate ofappreciation calculated into ROI
when we're looking at investmentopportunity.
And we're also looking at, youknow, what can the highest and
best use be of a property on theisland relative to the current
(08:09):
zoning, relative to um how theproperty needs to be situated on
the on the um on the lot thatwe're developing?
So there's a lot of drivers, alot of decision-making points
that go into this level of themarket that you know isn't
prevalent in the in the uh moreresidential area.
Cabo Jim (08:28):
Absolutely.
And you know, kind of alongthose same lines, do you see
certain things, you know, Iguess sensing trending and
obviously changing, right?
SPEAKER_01 (08:37):
Oh, golly.
Um how much time do we have?
Okay.
Uh obviously a lot a lot a lotof things are changing.
Um unfortunately, and certainlynot how any of us would have
ever wanted it to happen.
Um but uh you know the island weneed to kind of redevelop, we
(08:59):
need to regroup.
We can't forget our past, can'tforget our our our our history.
Um, but we we need to lookforward, you know.
We need to look forward.
Um that means could look forwardwith controlled, managed, and
reasonable growth.
Um, not 100-story skyscrapers onthe golf front.
(09:20):
Nobody wants to see that.
Um, our focus also in ourredevelopment strategy is to do
things that are complementary tothe community, to do things that
are within the scope of zoningum with the community, um, to be
an asset complement to thecommunity.
I love the island, so do thefolks I'm working with.
(09:42):
You know, they were here beforeIan because they they saw an
opportunity and they love thebeach as well.
So we're looking to do things umin a manner that's complementary
to the beach, not conflictingwith the uh the the vibe of the
fort of Fort Myers Beach.
The thing that uh I believeneeds to be uh shared is that uh
(10:04):
the comp plan, the current compplan in the town, um was written
and and and and implementedbefore the current building
codes were written.
So the current building codesrequire, of course, everything
to be elevated, the livingspace, air conditioned, heated
space.
We can't have any improvementagain.
(10:25):
Generally speaking, there'sexceptions or things here, but
I'm talking just generallyspeaking, when we're talking
concepts, design, anddevelopment.
There um you can't have anyliving space on the ground
floor, so everything needs to beelevated.
However, the comp plan has notyet been adjusted to compensate
for this.
You know, the original comp plandidn't contemplate uh having uh
(10:50):
a property elevated, so nowwe're taking away the ground
level occupancy, but there'sbeen nothing added up top to
compensate for that.
So now there's a squeeze herebecause you know, obviously you
know, things need to makefinancial sense or nothing's
going to happen.
Okay, that doesn't mean somebodyneeds to make a gazillion
(11:12):
dollars off of each and everydeal.
Of course not.
It has to be reasonable, buteverything needs to be done
within reason to adjust andrecognize the the things that
need to be um uh adjusted to touh make deals work and and get
things rolling here for us.
And the town to their credit hasbeen very reasonable as well, I
(11:34):
believe, in um in what they'repermitting and what they're
approving.
Um overall, I think they've beenvery reasonable with that for
our project, for example, andsome other projects that we have
coming.
Cabo Jim (11:47):
Yeah, and things are gonna change, you know.
Unfortunately, you know, uhwe're in that that period where
things are gonna evolve, thingsare gonna change, but we do want
to not lose that sense ofcommunity of what maybe Fort
Myers beat is very special to alot of people and families.
Yep.
SPEAKER_01 (12:03):
No, absolutely.
I think Dan Aller said it thebest.
Uh the audience is gonna staythe same, the people are gonna
stay the same.
The only thing that's gonnachange are the buildings, you
know.
So uh give him credit wherecredit's due.
That's it.
Focus, focus on the positive.
That's it.
Yep.
And and we're seeing tourism.
Tourism is um, you know, thefolks are still coming back, as
we know.
(12:24):
I mean, um, I'll never forget,I'll never forget this.
Back now, this was during COVID.
You know, we were we were shutdown for a little while, and
after we reopened, I was intraffic on Astera Boulevard in
July.
And I was sitting there, I Ihave uh an SUV, so I got a big
(12:44):
you know, armrester, I have mylaptop up, and I'm in traffic,
I'm working, and all of a suddenit struck me, I'm in a traffic
jam.
I'm in a traffic jam, right?
You know, right?
I've never felt so good to be ina traffic jam as to when I was
in that one post-COVID or duringCOVID here, rather.
It's the same feeling now.
(13:05):
People are coming back, we're intraffic jams, thank goodness.
And let's face it, we're anisland in a gulf, a beautiful
island in a beautiful part ofthe world.
Yeah, there's gonna be traffic.
People are gonna kind of want tocome and hang out with us,
right?
So, uh, yeah, we're gonna havesome traffic.
We just have to do the best wecan with it.
And just that's life here.
Cabo Jim (13:26):
Yep, and welcome them and let them enjoy the paradise
that we you know, we appreciateyour round.
So exactly.
Now I know you do a lot with thecommunity because I see you out
and about uh quite a bit.
Is there anything that you'reinvolved with currently as far
as maybe giving back to thecommunity or helping the
community?
SPEAKER_01 (13:44):
Well, uh, yeah, I there was a recently formed
alliance called What's Up FMB.
Um, and I was um asked to jointhe board there.
And uh the mission of what's upFMB is to uh support, showcase,
feature local small businessesby holding events.
(14:07):
Um there was the first, thekickoff one was the mullet
madness, um, which was just ascream.
And I I I give kudos to Dawn uhMiller.
Um this was Dawn's brainchild,and she's a very focused, very
committed, very energetic, andand um very savvy person.
(14:30):
She's very sharp.
And uh so this was herbrainchild, and we got
everything for she goteverything formed rather, and uh
it's growing very nicely.
What's up, FMB?
So keep your eyes out for that.
Uh there's gonna be a lot ofevents coming.
The uh lantern festival that wasjust held um in November was
amazing, it's just beautiful.
(14:50):
Uh, so we're talking about youknow, maybe some firework events
coming up, maybe 4th of Julythat we're gonna be involved in.
You know, keep your ears openfor that.
Um, all the businesses aroundtown, you're welcome and
invited, and please come andjoin us at WhatsApp FMB.
Um, we're gonna be showcasinglocal businesses through events
(15:12):
and through a lot of uh we havea great website that was just
launched, as well as an amazingwebsite.
We have social media presence.
So, you know, like and followus, spread the word.
It's uh it's great for theisland.
And we're we're you know, we'rewe're doing this like in concert
with and in complement with theChamber of Commerce as well.
(15:33):
You know, we're we're workingclosely with with the chamber.
Uh, we're we're all in thistogether.
There's uh you know just waysthat we can support everyone,
and this is a manner that we uhwe saw fit to do that.
Cabo Jim (15:44):
I love it.
You know, just giving people uhanother reason to come to the
beach and and visit the beach,and there's good things
happening here, and uh there'smore than just the beach,
there's other things going on,but uh absolutely I love it.
She's done a great job withthat.
So kudos to her on that.
So you mentioned you were heresince what 2015.
(16:05):
Where are you from originally?
SPEAKER_01 (16:07):
Um, originally from a little town in Pennsylvania
named Manchester, Pennsylvania.
Very small town.
We got our first traffic lightin 1977, you know.
Interesting.
Wow, right a red light on thesquare in uh in our small town,
and it was and then yeah, it itchanged, it changed after that,
(16:27):
right?
Cabo Jim (16:28):
It uh a little bit, yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (16:29):
Well that's three traffic, three traffic lights.
Cabo Jim (16:31):
Well, there you go.
It's a big city now, metropolis.
There we go.
SPEAKER_01 (16:34):
It was a great way to grow up out in the rural
countryside.
You know, I was grew up infarming areas, and you know, I
lived that growing up lifestylewhere you know you left in the
morning with your friends andwent and ran around all day and
spending home before the streetlights came on.
You know, mom and dad were weregood with that.
Cabo Jim (16:51):
And they didn't know where you were all day, right?
SPEAKER_01 (16:53):
Exactly.
But you know, everybody kneweach other.
We were playing ball or runningaround in the woods hiking or
lifting up rocks in the creektrying to catch salamanders,
yeah.
Cabo Jim (17:03):
Absolutely, yeah.
The good old days, right?
Right, absolutely.
So, speaking about that, I Iknow you're very very busy, man.
You got a lot on your platecurrently, but uh when you do
get a moment of free time, whatdo you enjoy doing outside of
work?
SPEAKER_01 (17:17):
Just hanging out with my wife.
Um doing things with my wife,traveling around a little bit.
We we love the little getawayweekends to uh, you know,
somewhere local or a quick planeride away.
We enjoy going to small,charming, quaint towns and you
know, just uh relaxing there,you know, kind of like this uh
uh uh Fort Myers Beach, maybe upin the mountains, you know, with
(17:39):
a small town where people arehanging out, enjoying life
together.
Um, you know, we've we've got afew places that we've identified
that we really enjoy.
One is up in Georgia called LAJ,Georgia, and it's uh just a
really cool, quaint small townup in the mountains of North
Georgia.
Um, places like that.
Cabo Jim (17:57):
Very good, very good.
So without giving away all yoursecrets, uh is there something
you would recommend peoplecoming to visit uh Fort Myers
Beach that they get out and door get out and see or visit?
SPEAKER_01 (18:10):
Oh, just I I where to begin with that one too.
How much time do you have?
You know, um I love the boattours.
I like I like the boat tours,you know.
So you can get out and reallysee the beauty of this island
from the water and all theplaces where you know we don't
get an opportunity to see,obviously, from the land as
we're driving up and down astair boulevard.
(18:30):
Um, I think that's uh somethingthat people really need to
experience.
And nothing beats.
I mean, how many times have weall been in a boat and in the
wake we see dolphins playing inthe boat wake?
Right?
Does that ever get old?
Does that ever get old?
Never, never, of course not.
So you know go take a boat ride,play with some dolphins, forget
(18:53):
about whatever it is that mightbe troubling you for a little
while.
Um, enjoy the beauty of thewater.
You know, it's it's it relaxesour soul, right?
And it's just an experience thatyou it's just hard to beat.
It's hard to be.
Um and then uh you know, you'vegot to get out and and go to
some of the local spots and rubelbows with some of the local
(19:16):
folks and just you know hang outwith some people and have a
great conversation with someonewho you've never met before, but
you walk away friends, you know,that type of experience.
Um I also love the uh um oh upat Botage Point, the beach up
there.
Um great spot for uh sunsets umover Sanibel.
(19:39):
You know, it's just a perfectspot for that, in my opinion.
Uh kind of like a little secretspot that not everyone really
goes and hangs out at, whichmystifies me because I think
it's awesome up there.
Um so those are those are somethings I would encourage folks
to do.
Check out, we've got someawesome restaurants in this
area, too.
I mean, just for foodies, it'sgreat.
Of course, you The whale thatcame back.
(20:01):
Um, anything they make there isfantastic.
They really have a high level ofuh quality on everything they do
there.
Um, so it doesn't surprise metheir food's just you know a
home run.
Uh we have Doc Fords.
Doc Fords has an amazing menu,amazing foods there.
Um, pardon me, Dixie Fish House.
(20:21):
Okay.
Um I can go on and on.
Those are some of the those aresome of the the top spots that
come to mind of you know, youmust go here type places.
Um and just relax and enjoy lifea little bit.
Cabo Jim (20:35):
That's what it's all about down here.
So so getting back to business,is there one thing that you wish
our listeners knew about whatyou're doing currently uh with
the peer group that uh maybethey're not too aware of?
SPEAKER_01 (20:48):
Just um, golly, good question.
Um be aware of, I guess if Icould share anything, and this
is maybe a little delicate, butwe have to find a balance on the
island.
We have to find a balance.
As I shared with us with withyou, excuse me, as I shared with
(21:09):
you a bit earlier, um, you know,redeveloping the island is
challenging.
Um for a number of differentreasons.
As I mentioned, uh the heightissues, okay.
We we we hear a lot of people,and sometimes rightfully so, and
sometimes, you know, this is agood argument, a good
discussion, a good debate tohave um about height issues.
(21:33):
Sometimes, however, it'snecessary in today's market for
a new development to be acertain minimum height before it
makes any financial sense toeven do the project.
So we can either decide tocontinue looking at vacant
parcels and you know some rubblehere and there and overgrown
(21:55):
weeds and things like that,which has its place in some
areas, um, or we can we can flexa little bit, we can adjust a
little bit and just find thatmiddle ground.
Let's face it, the reality ismost of the time the right
answer lies in the middle.
Okay, we can't have any extremethinking on one end or the
other, or nothing will everwork.
(22:16):
We all know that.
So let's just kind of worktowards the middle and and where
what can we do where we're allwhere we're all good, where
we're all happy, okay, wherewe're where we can find
agreement.
If there's one message I couldput out there, it's that let's
just figure it out together andand let's not take the extremes
on one side or the other.
Cabo Jim (22:37):
I love it, I love it.
A little compromise, positivevibes, it's what it's all about.
How would the listeners go aboutcontacting you if they had
questions, you know, uh wantedto buy you a drink down by the
beach?
SPEAKER_01 (22:50):
Sure, absolutely.
Um, I my phone number is239-940-7749.
Can reach me there anytime, textme.
Um anytime I can help anybody,even if it's just a question, it
doesn't have to be a deal,right?
Um, it's just a question I canhelp you with, you know.
(23:11):
Don't hesitate.
I don't know it all, but I'mhappy to share with you what I
do know and help you any way Ican.
Cabo Jim (23:16):
Very good, very good.
Dennis, it's been a pleasuregetting to know you.
Thank you for being such a goodneighbor, and we're gonna see
you out of the beach here soon.
SPEAKER_01 (23:24):
Absolutely.
See you, Jim.
Bye, everybody.
Intro/Close (23:26):
Thanks for tuning in to the Fort Myers Beach Good
Neighbor podcast.
If you loved what you heard,share it with a friend and keep
the good vibes going.
Until next time, remember tohobble, until you wobble, and
keep being a good neighbor.
Also, to nominate your favoriteneighbors, local legends,
heroes, or local businessesbeyond the show.
Go to FMBGoodneighbor.com.
That's FMBGoodneighbor.com ortwo three nine four two seven
(23:48):
four one zero zero.
Want to send up I would love toerror tips from Edward Jones,
State Insurance USA, the TV PuffFort Fires B.
We are the good neighbors andbusinesses that allow us to
share the soul of our communitywith every listener and promote
the stories of the positive vibeof island life.
Here's the celebration of thebig Fort Fires beef with the
place of paradise we all love.
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