FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. — A Fort Myers Beach man who camped out on the top of his garage for six days straight is finally starting to rebuild his home destroyed by Hurricane Ian.
Rick Loughrey, who’s more commonly known as ‘Rick on the Roof,’ lost his home to the storm on September 28, 2022. The only four walls that remained were that of his garage, which he and his wife, Amy, added on only a few years ago.
While going through the permitting process to rebuild, the Town of Fort Myers Beach insisted the garage was part of the house and must come down. Rick disagreed.
To make his point, he camped on the roof demanding answers.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Fort Myers Beach man camping on garage roof, protesting town’s permitting department
Last Monday, those long nights and sweaty Southwest Florida summers on the roof paid off. The Loughrey’s got a variance from the town and broke ground on their new home.
“Awe, man. It’s a battle. It’s been a long battle,” Rick Loughrey told ABC7.
It was a battle filled with blood, a lot of sweat and even some tears. After a months-long battle with the town, their home is now starting to take shape from the ground up.
“The day I received the variance from the Town of Fort Myers Beach, which basically said that I could move forward, we were digging holes in the ground that morning,” Loughrey said.
Those holes have been filled with metal pipes called Heli-Coils. Those coils are driven 20 feet into the sandy soil, anchoring the future home and the future of this family on the island.
“We’re going to be looking at two years before we finally get into our home,” he said.
Rick’s fight has led to others being able to do the same, keeping parts of their homes not destroyed by Ian.
“It’s a struggle. You’re not alone. We’re all in it together,” he said. “Thank you for all your help and if you need me, I’m here for you.”
If you need some help, reinforcements have arrived on Fort Myers Beach. The town has hired Jacobs Management Company to help process permits.
“Contracting these services brings more personnel in-house to help raise the bar to give the community what it needs to build back faster,” said Town Manager Andy Hyatt in a press release. “The first inspector from Jacobs performed 27 inspections his first day on the job which was just a day after the contract was signed.”
“Jacobs brings a world of knowledge and resources to the Town of Fort Myers Beach,” added Jacobs City Services Director Deyanna Respress. “We will help expedite recovery and rebuilding by applying proven best practices and technologies. Our goal is to bring our expertise in construction, engineering and inspections to help build a stronger community for years to come and enable Town officials to focus on residents’ needs.”
The deal adds seven new people to the 13 already tasked with analyzing and approving each and every rebuild on the seven-mile island.
“It’s going to make a lot of the day-to-day operations a lot easier and a lot smoother,” said Frankie Kropacek, operations and compliance director with the Town of Fort Myers Beach. “We’re open for business. We want this town to go back and that’s what it’s all about.”
Back at Rick’s property along Estero Boulevard, there’s still a long way to go. However, he’s come a long way from Rick on the Roof to Rick on the Ground.
“Rick in the house. I sure hope so,” he said.