BUSINESS Matanzas on the Bay, Matanzas Inn sold

By NATHAN MAYBERG nmayberg@breezenewspapers com

It seemed like just yesterday Matanzas Inn reopened and Matanzas on the Bay followed giving Fort Myers Beach a boost after Hurricane Ian Now, three months after the resort opened again and a month after Petey’s Upper Deck opened up its second-level restaurant at Matanzas on the Bay, they have been sold though they will remain open

The price tag for the properties was officially listed on real estate deeds as $7 5 million though co-owner Doug Speirn-Smith said that doesn’t include the price of the businesses

“There will be no change in operations, no change in personnel,” Speirn-Smith said He and his wife Christy have operated the properties since 1984 Speirn-Smith said he will retain a lease with the new owners for at least a year to continue running the landmark Crescent St restaurant.

“It’s quite bittersweet,” Speirn-Smith said

The new owners are FMB Matanzas LLC, a limited liability real estate investment company registered out of Naples connected to the Augusterra Group, a Tampa-area investment group The principals of FMB Matanzas LLC are listed under registration records file with the state as William Yeomans and Nancy Smigliani, with their Naples address and Pinellas Park postal address Also listed is Brandon Michael Duke, with a Bonita Springs address. Duke is also the CEO of Fort Myers-based Juniper Landscaping

The new owners couldn’t be reached by press time M a t a n z a s I n n u n d e r w e n t r e n o v a t i o n s b e f o r e Hurricane Ian and after Ian In addition to being a resort, the inn has historically been a home for those utilizing the town’s mooring field

Speirn-Smith said he had been in talks with the buyers before the restaurant and inn reopened He said the buyers have been attempting to purchase the property for some time The new owners also acquired one unit in the Harbor House at the Inn, across the street

The original Matanzas on the Bay building goes back to the 1940s, with other parts of the property dating back to the 1960s Major renovations were made in 2007 to both the inn and the restaurant

Speirn-Smith said business at the restaurant had been “about what we expected” since reopening May 1 “There was a lot of progress by our team to return it to a nice local business” after Hurricane Ian, he said Both buildings survived the hurricane though Matanzas on the Bay took on a lot of water in its ground floor

“It really was just the time for my wife and I to assess our options after a really traumatic community event,” he said.

“It will be interesting to see how it evolves,” SpeirnSmith said “We are not going anywhere but we are losing something we care deeply about ”

Lee County Tax Collector announces surrender plate drop boxes

L e e C o u n t y T a x C o l l e c t o r N o e l l e B r a n n i n g announced the launch of two new innovations to help customers complete transactions conveniently Surrender Plate Drop Boxes: Now located outside of each of the six service centers throughout Lee County, customers can use these secure boxes to turn in unused license plates Simply fill out the pre-printed envelope, place the license plate inside the envelope, and drop it into the box Plates turned in by 4 p m on business days will be processed the same day with a receipt mailed to the address on record

Specialty License Plate Pre-Sale Vouchers: After the Florida Legislature approves a new specialty license plate, the sponsoring organization must sell a certain number of pre-sale vouchers within 24 months before the new plate is manufactured and made available to Florida drivers Now, customers are able to purchase those v o u c h e r s d i r e c t l y h e c o u n t y ' s w e b s i t e at LeeTC com/pre-sale-specialty-plate-vouchers/ without having to come into an office.

“These are exciting new additions in a series of innovations we have made to help achieve our mission of providing 5-star service to customers quickly and efficient- ly,” Branning said “We continuously look for ways to enhance a customer’s experience, while providing excellent government service "

Other innovations launched in the last eight months include a new website, a digital customer service agent named Edison who can answer questions 24/7 at LeeTC com, a queuing system where customers can check in on their phones, wait where they want, and be notified by text when to return, and a Smart Locker system to provide vehicle and vessel dealers next day turnaround on their title and registration documents