Owners of Lani Kai Island Resort, a staple of Fort Myers Beach since 1978, intend to rebuild around the existing structure after the Sept. 28 devastation of Hurricane Ian.
Hurricane Ian’s storm surge of at least 15 feet washed away the beach-side bars and Val’s Corner Bar. It also flooded Casa Blanca Café and Sabal Palm Restaurant on the second floor, which is about 20 feet above the ground level, but the 100 guest rooms in the hotel, and the 25 guest rooms across the street at the Bay Inn at Lani Kai remain intact.
“We had significant damage throughout the hotel,” said Melissa Schneider, who has been a spokesperson for the Lani Kai owners for the past six years. “Our entire ground floor, our vendor shops, the bars, all of the offices and everything we had down there, everything was just cleared away with that tidal surge.”
Robert “Bob” Conidaris, who had an asphalt contracting business in Rochester, New York in the 1970s, discovered Fort Myers Beach with his wife Grace. They decided to settle there in 1977-78, when he designed and built Lani Kai.
Ken Conidaris, who is Bob’s son and now manages Lani Kai, recalled his father talking about reinforcing the concrete pilings to withstand hurricanes. Ken was in the second grade when the hotel first opened.
BNB Construction, a precursor to Conidaris Construction, built the seven-story building. BNB stands for “Bob and Bob,” meaning Bob Conidaris and his then-business partner, Bob LaForce. They intended everything on the ground floor to be washed away in the event of a storm like Hurricane Ian, with the reinforced concrete pilings protecting the integrity of the rest of the building, Ken Conidaris said.
“We’re proud it was a strong building,” Ken Conidaris said. “He always said that it would withstand anything, and it did.
“We’re going to rebuild like we always have. Driving around, it’s crushing what the storm did to Fort Myers Beach, because I grew up there.”
The Conidaris family hired a team of structural engineers to determine the integrity of the existing buildings, to make sure the Lani Kai can rebuild using the existing structure.
“Everything has been looking really great,” Schneider said. “Everything is showing the building is structurally sound. And the family is very excited about that. Because that old Florida look, that iconic old Florida style that Bob Conidaris built in 1978 is very rare nowadays, especially on Fort Myers Beach. I think that shows just how talented Bob Conidaris is with his developing and his construction. And how well he built this building to withstand such a severe storm.” 
But even if the storm didn’t have any issues, it would be too soon to reopen anyway because of the severe damage to the rest of Fort Myers Beach, she said.
“We don’t want to open until the island is really ready to be open,” Schneider said. “Right now, the island of Fort Myers Beach is completely devastated. We can’t welcome anybody right now.”
The Lani Kai employs about 100 people year-round and up to an additional 100 during the height of tourist season, Schneider said. Kenny Conidaris, a grandson of Bob Conidaris, established a GoFundMe page that raised $26,000 to be dispersed to hotel employees. Publix also matched the GoFundMe fees with gift cards that are being distributed as well.
“Lani Kai Strong” T-shirts are being made, with the profits to also assist out-of-work employees.
“We’ve been working with other incoming recovery crews,” Schneider said. “That helped create jobs for our crew to make some money. Others have moved. Others have moved out of state.”
While the owners remain hopeful for Lani Kai’s future, they also face challenges during the present. There is no timetable yet for reopening.
“Everything we’re doing right now, we’re just taking things one day at a time,” Schneider said. “We’re so fortunate we have the support from friends from all across the country.”
