Fort Myers marina reopens after bankruptcy, Hurricane Ian

A father and son who were Boston Red Sox catchers, a renowned Fort Myers architect and a celebrity ballet dancer combined forces in 1995 to develop a Fort Myers marina that was completed in 1998 and stood the test of time for more than two decades — until shortly after they sold it.

In 2022, calamities both financial and meteorological destroyed Legacy Harbour Marina. But the marina at 2044 W. First St. has been reborn after four years of financial and rebuilding hurdles — namely Chapter 11 bankruptcy and Hurricane Ian.

Marina director Eric Ravenschlag, who has worked under all three ownership groups, cut the ceremonial ribbon Oct. 23 in front of about 40 elected officials, Fort Myers economic development officials and well-wishers. The ceremony marked the grand opening of the marina, which officially reopened in September.

“It is unbelievable,” said Ravenschlag, an employee at the marina for 26 years. “I can’t believe it. Very emotional. It’s been a long journey the last four years. To get here and open with a grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony is overwhelming for me.”

AIRN Holdings, based in Secaucus, New Jersey, was created in 2023 out of AIRN Liquidation Trust, a year after National Realty Investment Advisors, or NRIA, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in June 2022. AIRN is NRIA’s letters spelled backward.

NRIA’s shadow CEO, Nicholas Salzano, is serving a 12-year federal prison sentence for his role in a $658 million Ponzi scheme that defrauded more than 2,000 investors, along with a tax evasion conspiracy, according to the Department of Justice.

Two of AIRN’s six current employees were hired when it was NRIA, which had about 100 employees at the time, said Tommy Fierro, chief financial officer of AIRN.

The marina cost about $15 million to rebuild, Fierro said. He added that less than $3 million of that amount came from insurance.

“We’re very confident this was a wise investment,” said Kevin Lynch, controller for AIRN. CEO Rick Budd did not attend and couldn’t be reached for comment.

The marina has 131 slips and has added two fuel pumps. It’s next door to the former Joe’s Crab Shack and Chart House restaurant building, also owned by AIRN, that is being refurbished by Fowler Construction to become Nellie’s Boatyard by early 2027. The new restaurant will be operated by Tyler and Len Lemmer’s family restaurant group.

Land in front of the marina is zoned for up to 550 condominium, apartment and/or hotel units, a project that has renderings but not yet the capital to proceed.

Bellingham Marine served as the contractor to rebuild the marina and did so with resiliency in mind

“Coastal resiliency was a big part of what we’re trying to achieve with the new marina,” Ravenschlag said. “It was re-engineered to be stronger. All the pilings are steel now as opposed to concrete. The tension wire pilings — they’re 5 feet taller. They’re 70 feet in total length. They’re about 45 feet into the mud.”

The well-wishers on hand at the ribbon cutting included Marc Sullivan, who, like his father, Haywood Sullivan, played catcher for the Boston Red Sox. The father played from 1955 to 1960, and the son played from 1982 to 1987. In 1993, when the Red Sox relocated their spring training home from Winter Haven to Fort Myers, Haywood Sullivan had an ownership stake in the team. The elder Sullivan set about looking for other development projects. He and his son partnered with Fort Myers architect Edgar Wilson and dancer and actor Mikhail Baryshnikov, forming WBS, the marina’s first ownership group.

When it opened as Centennial Harbour Marina, a Steak ‘n’ Egg restaurant and Travelodge hotel were on the property. The hotel later rebranded, first to Winyah and later to Legacy Harbour.

By 2021, Marc Sullivan wanted to sell the marina and surrounding properties, having no idea Hurricane Ian would come the next year, destroying the hotel and marina.

“It was just time for somebody else to take it over,” Sullivan said. “Whether the economy was good or bad, boaters always came back.”

Ravenschlag said he’s hoping the same now that the marina has reopened. The slips can be leased daily, weekly, monthly and annually.

“It’s been extremely hard,” Ravenschlag said of getting the marina rebuilt. “Like I said, emotional. Challenging. A lot of hurdles. A lot of setbacks. A lot of accomplishments. The last three and a half years I’ve worked on myself to get to this point with the help of my ownership in New Jersey. The Bellingham team came on about a year and a half ago.

“The future looks bright.”