The Fort Myers Beach Local Planning Agency recommended rejecting developer London Bay’s proposal for a $200 million oceanfront hotel and condo resort at 6200 Estero Blvd.
The LPA advises Town Council, which has the final word on the project. Council is set to hear the developer’s case at two public hearings in June.
LPA members on May 12 voted 5-2 against London Bay’s proposal, with Ed Schoonover and James Dunlap dissenting. The decision closed out a series of LPA hearings on the project, including April 14 and May 8.
In a statement emailed after the hearing, London Bay President and CEO Mark Wilson wrote that he and his team were disappointed in the result after three years of community planning.
“Our goal has always been to create a place that serves not only guests, but also the broader community for generations to come,” he wrote. “We remain hopeful that Fort Myers Beach Town Council will recognize the long-term economic benefits of this investment to the community.”
London Bay representatives, including President and CEO Mark Wilson, review documents during the May 12 Local Planning Agency meeting. The developer said it was disappointed with the board’s recommendation to deny the project.
Evan Williams
LPA members objected to the project’s 158-foot height and overall size after the developer slightly reduced both. The project’s highest tower was lowered from 15 to 14 stories.
The development does not provide enough public benefit to justify building at a greater height and density than the town’s comprehensive plan normally allows, LPA members argued. London Bay requested rezoning to create a special district and change the parcel’s future land use designation.
Fort Myers Beach adopted the latest update to its 2045 Comprehensive Plan in December 2025.
“The comprehensive plan is a covenant,” said LPA Chair Anita Cereceda. “What makes you an exception to that covenant?”
For her and others, the question was not sufficiently answered. She made a motion to deny giving London Bay the nod.
Project renderings outline the height and layout of the proposed London Bay development, including hotel and condo towers. LPA members said the project exceeded limits set by the town’s comprehensive plan.
Fort Myers Beach government
Cereceda said she would not support a construction density or floor-area ratio of greater than 2.5. FAR is the total constructed space compared to the size of the land it is built on. The developer said it lowered its previous 3.0 FAR to 2.75.
London Bay’s plan for the site of the former Outrigger Beach Resort, which was destroyed in 2022 by Hurricane Ian, calls for 150 hotel rooms, 46 dwelling units and 46,000 square feet of commercial space on 3.55 acres.
By comparison, the Outrigger included about 53,000 square feet with 144 rooms and a tiki bar that London Bay had planned to recreate.
London Bay bought the nearly 10-acre property for $38.2 million in 2023.
The developer also removed a list of public benefits included in past proposals, including a restaurant and beach access, while requesting deviations, such as building in an environmentally critical zone.
“[Their] want list is too great and way out of character for the town,” LPA member James Boan said. “The project is too high, too dense and too intense. I hope they come back with a revised proposal.”
Fort Myers Beach Town Manager Will McKannay also released a statement, saying, “We thank London Bay for bringing their project to our town and look forward to continuing to work with them to find a compromise that works for both of us.”
At the May 12 hearing, land-use attorney Richard Yovanovich said his client London Bay could pursue two other development paths “by right” as a landowner without public approval. The first would be a minimal residential development he called “noneconomical” and therefore unlikely.
A speaker addresses the Local Planning Agency during the May 12 meeting on the London Bay proposal. Residents and stakeholders voiced both support and opposition to the project.
Evan Williams
The second path would be a mixed-use project with 40% workforce housing based on area median income. Under the state’s Live Local Act, London Bay could pursue an administrative process to build surrounding structures at the town’s maximum height and density.
“If we have to, that’s the way we’ll have to go,” he said. “Of the two options, the Live Local Act is the one we’ll probably pursue.”
That would be off brand for a luxury developer, Cereceda pointed out.
“I don’t think it’s an option for your brand,” she told Wilson. “But maybe it’s a new option for your brand.”
After recommending that Town Council deny the project, the LPA made a series of votes denying most of the other variations the company requested.
Local Planning Agency Chair Anita Cereceda speaks during the May 12 hearing in Fort Myers Beach. She raised concerns about granting exceptions to the town’s comprehensive plan for the proposed resort.
Evan Williams
But it did recommend allowing the company to expand the area where alcohol is consumed on premises into the environmentally critical zone. Cereceda and Wilson joked that instead of building a resort, he could sell drinks from a cart instead, bringing a moment of levity to a sometimes contentious day.
Residents and area businesses voiced strong opinions for and against the development, with supporters highlighting its economic potential and opponents objecting to its size and scope.
Wilson said construction would generate $3.7 million in permit, impact and utility fees, and once operational, the project would produce $6.7 million in property tax revenue annually, including $1.5 million for Fort Myers Beach.
If Town Council approves London Bay’s plans, construction could begin as soon as 2027, with the development opening in 2030 or 2031.