FORT MYERS, Fla. — More businesses are closed than opened tonight in Downtown Fort Myers after storm surge from Hurricane Idalia flooded streets.
Early this morning, several areas in Downtown Fort Myers were flooded out. First Street near the Caloosahatchee Bridge was shut down for hours.
Most of the water has receded, there are just a few puddles left — but most businesses remain closed.
“We tried to go to dinner earlier and everything is closed, they got prepared for the hurricane and they didn’t open up afterward, but it’s better to be safe than sorry,” Marlene Belge said.
Fewer people are also downtown tonight.
Only a handful of your favorite bars and restaurants are open:
- City Tavern
- Lucky Screw
- Ford’s Garage
- Love Boat Ice Cream
- Downtown House of Pizza
- Cigar Bar
- Cowboy Up Saloon
- Hideaway Bar
“Everywhere’s closed, we were gonna get chips and salsa but that’s closed. The lodge is closed basically everywhere,” Grace Patrick said. “No intense flooding or anything like that but I guess it’s just being warry because of the last hurricane that all the businesses are closed. It makes sense — definitely PTSD.”
These businesses are closed:
- Skybar
- Capone’s Coal Fired Pizza
- Cabo’s Cantina
- 10 Twenty Five
- Space 39
- Firestone
- Oxbow Bar & Grill
- Izzy’s Fish & Oyster
- The Lodge
- Bahia Bowls
- Scoops on First
- Peter’s German Ice Cream & Coffee Shop
- Ella Mae’s Diner
- Downtown Social House
“They closed yesterday and we thought it would be open today, but still closed,” said Ruthie Isaacson.
Opened businesses said that although several streets were flooded, their businesses remained dry.
Count on ABC7 to let you know as soon as everything is open and back to normal.