New hurricane re-entry pass and policy announced

By NATHAN MAYBERG nmayberg@breezenewspapers com

A new system for receiving hurricane passes this season as well as a new policy for hurricane re-entry has been developed by the Town of Fort Myers Beach

The plan was developed by the town with the Lee County Sheriff's Office and Fort Myers Beach Fire District

The new plan specifies that access back onto the island after a future hurricane will be closed for “at least 48 hours after the storm ends” depending on the severity of the hurricane, said Jennifer Dexter, town spokesperson, in the announcement made Monday

Under the plan, the time for island re-entry “could possibly be longer. Even those with hurricane re-entry passes will not have access until the various agencies involved have worked through the above benchmarks Information will be posted on various social media sites and shared with local media,” Dexter said The plan was formulated by Fort Myers Beach Manager Andy Hyatt, Fort Myers Beach Mayor Dan Allers and public safety representatives from fire and law enforcement.

“We worked together with the town’s leadership team and representatives from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office West District and the Fort Myers Beach Fire District to streamline this process,” Hyatt said “Most everyone in the discussions had operational experience from Ian and were eager to make this process simple and viable ”

Efforts by the town to restrict re-entry

See RE-ENTRY PASS, page 9