Benchmark General Contractors broke ground Monday, July 6 on Sunset Beach Resort, a $13-million mixed-use development at 1028 Estero Blvd. in Fort Myers Beach\u2019s Times Square district. The project marks one of the most significant private investments along the island\u2019s beachfront since Hurricane Ian made landfall in September 2022.<\/p>\n
The three-story, 41,285-square-foot development will rise on the former site of Sunset Beach Tropical Grill and The Playmore Tiki Bar, two beloved Times Square fixtures that were destroyed by the storm. When complete, Sunset Beach Resort will feature six hotel units, returning a vibrant, mixed-use destination to one of the most visible and heavily trafficked corners of Fort Myers Beach.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis isn\u2019t a project for five or 10 years \u2014 this is a 100-year-plus building,\u201d said Brad Nickel, president of Benchmark General Contractors. \u201cWe are this community. We\u2019ve been here for 40-plus years building coastal projects, and to be a part of something this major is quite the testament to everything we\u2019ve been doing for the last four decades. I hope this serves as a giant billboard to every developer out there that Fort Myers Beach is ready \u2014 come build, and the town is here to help you do it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ian\u2019s storm surge and winds caused catastrophic damage to Fort Myers Beach, decimating the Times Square corridor and displacing dozens of businesses that had defined the island\u2019s character for generations. Nearly four years later, the groundbreaking of Sunset Beach Resort represents one of the latest and most prominent steps in the community\u2019s ongoing effort to reclaim and rebuild its beachfront identity.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery groundbreaking is so special for those of us who watched Hurricane Ian change our communities forever,\u201d said John Lai, president of the Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce and the Sanibel & Captiva Islands Chamber of Commerce. \u201cThese moments mean more than just a construction project \u2014 they remind us that Southwest Florida doesn\u2019t stay down for long. Today we celebrate much more than a beautiful new resort property. We\u2019re celebrating confidence in Fort Myers Beach, investment in its future and another chapter in the incredible comeback of this island.\u201d<\/p>\n
The groundbreaking ceremony was attended by Fort Myers Beach Mayor Dan Allers, Jacki Liszak, president and CEO of the Fort Myers Beach Chamber of Commerce, and John Lai, president of the Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce and the Sanibel & Captiva Islands Chamber of Commerce. Lai noted that Benchmark\u2019s expansion to Fort Myers Beach reflects the company\u2019s longstanding commitment to Southwest Florida\u2019s recovery, having already completed significant recovery work related to Hurricane Ian on Sanibel and Captiva.<\/p>\n
Benchmark General Contractors is a Southwest Florida-based commercial construction firm with deep experience in coastal and post-disaster rebuilding across the region. The company has been active in Hurricane Ian recovery efforts since the storm, with completed and ongoing projects spanning Lee County\u2019s barrier islands. Ryan Johnson, vice president of commercial operations, and Doug Hrabik, senior project manager, are overseeing the Sunset Beach Resort project.<\/p>\n
Construction on Sunset Beach Resort is expected to take approximately 18 months, with a projected completion in early 2028.<\/p>\n
About Benchmark General Contractors<\/p>\n
Benchmark General Contractors is a Southwest Florida-based construction firm specializing in commercial and luxury residential projects, with a strong presence in coastal communities including Sanibel and Captiva. Founded in 1984, the company is known for its expertise in complex coastal construction, delivering high-quality projects that meet the unique challenges of building in hurricane-prone environments. Benchmark combines craftsmanship, project management expertise and strong partnerships with developers and architects to deliver projects with precision, transparency and long-term value. As the region continues to grow and rebuild, Benchmark is helping shape the future of Southwest Florida through resilient construction and thoughtful development. For more information, visit Benchmark-GC.com<\/a> or call 239-466-1590.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Benchmark General Contractors broke ground Monday, July 6 on Sunset Beach Resort, a $13-million mixed-use development at 1028…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":310424,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[209,211,210],"class_list":["post-333616","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cape-coral","tag-cape-coral","tag-cape-coral-headlines","tag-cape-coral-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/333616","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=333616"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/333616\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/310424"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=333616"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=333616"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=333616"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}