The Lee Board of County Commissioners voted June 18 to direct staff to rebuild the Fort Myers Beach Pier to 1,000 feet long and 12 feet wide, 70.85% longer and 50% wider than the pier destroyed by Hurricane Ian, in the same location. Design and permitting of the pier are expected to take up to 36 months, and construction would take a year to 18 months. The total construction cost is estimated at about $17.1 million, with about $11.6 million of that amount coming from Lee County Tourist Development Tax reserves to supplement Federal Emergency Management Agency reimbursement. By comparison, rebuilding the pier to its original footprint of 585.3 feet long and 8 feet wide, would result in an estimated total construction cost of about $5.6 million, with no cost to Lee County due to federal reimbursement. The design and planning for that effort was estimated at 18 months.