Bob Beville (left to right), Fort Myers Beach Councilmember Scott Safford, Fort Myers Beach Chamber of Commerce President Jacki Liszak, Marvin Homes President Richard Durling, Cottages of Paradise Point owners Dennis Greenspan and Lisa Greenspan break ground with ceremonial shovels for the redevelopment of the Cottages of Paradise Point on Fort Myers Beach on Friday.
\nPhoto provided<\/p>\n
Surrounded by longtime guests, former employees, community leaders, and partners, the Cottages of Paradise Point officially broke ground on its Gulf-front redevelopment, marking a powerful milestone in the ongoing rebuilding of Fort Myers Beach.<\/p>\n
Hosted in partnership with the Fort Myers Beach Chamber of Commerce, the ceremony celebrated not only the future of the iconic property, but also the deep sense of family and history that has defined Paradise Point for more than two decades.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a pivotal step in the rebuilding of Fort Myers Beach,\u201d said Richard Durling, President of Marvin Homes, the project\u2019s builder and development partner. \u201cParadise Point represents the spirit of this island-resilient, welcoming, and deeply connected to the people who love it. Today is about honoring that spirit while building forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
Owners Dennis and Lisa Greenspon reflected on the property\u2019s legacy and the profound personal meaning behind the moment. Dennis shared what he described as the \u201cbookends\u201d in Paradise Point\u2019s history-purchasing their first cottage in 2001, growing the property to eight beloved cottages, and then losing them all to Hurricane Ian in 2022.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat made Paradise Point special was never just the cottages,\u201d said Dennis Greenspon. \u201cIt was the feeling of family. Guests returned year after year, friendships were formed, and today many of those guests are standing here with us. Former employees-including our longtime property manager and maintenance man-are here too. That says everything about what this place meant.\u201d<\/p>\n
Greenspon expressed gratitude to the many supporters who have stood by the project since the storm. \u201cFort Myers Beach is coming back-and we will be back,\u201d he said. \u201cSeeing everyone here today reminds us why rebuilding matters.\u201d<\/p>\n
The redevelopment will transform the historic site at 452 Estero Boulevard into an intimate, resilient Gulf-front neighborhood. The first cottage breaking ground is a 2,143-square-foot residence, with two additional cottages planned for 2026, including a 3,607-square-foot Gulf-front home with a pool beneath the residence and a 2,053-square-foot Gulf-side cottage just steps from beach access. Individual homesites are also available for purchase.<\/p>\n
All cottages will meet or exceed current FEMA flood requirements, be engineered for 160-mph winds, and feature impact-resistant windows and doors-blending modern coastal resilience with the charm and spirit of the original Paradise Point.<\/p>\n
For more than 20 years, Cottages of Paradise Point was a place where generations made memories along the Gulf. While Hurricane Ian destroyed the physical structures, the groundbreaking affirmed that the heart of Paradise Point-and the community that surrounds it-endures.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese new buildings are fantastic. It\u2019s a great representation of where Fort Myers Beach is going. These cottages are cute but they are resilient,\u201d Fort Myers Beach Councilman Scott Safford said. <\/p>\n
About Cottages of Paradise Point<\/p>\n
For more than two decades, the Cottages of Paradise Point on Fort Myers Beach welcomed visitors from around the world to experience colorful cottages, sweeping Gulf views, and a sense of community. Destroyed by Hurricane Ian in 2022, the property is now being reimagined as an exclusive neighborhood that preserves the essence of the original cottages while embracing resilient, modern coastal construction.<\/p>\n
About Marvin Homes<\/p>\n
Marvin Homes has been a respected Southwest Florida homebuilder for 53 years.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Bob Beville (left to right), Fort Myers Beach Councilmember Scott Safford, Fort Myers Beach Chamber of Commerce President…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":127718,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[209,211,210],"class_list":{"0":"post-127717","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cape-coral","8":"tag-cape-coral","9":"tag-cape-coral-headlines","10":"tag-cape-coral-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127717","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=127717"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127717\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/127718"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=127717"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=127717"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=127717"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}