Snook Bight Marina is Open for Dry Storage Customers, by Appointment Only through SpeedyDock. Suntex Boat Club is officially back!
Marina Update 4/25/23
We wanted to provide an update on the progress at Snook Bight Marina. Our team has been busy making improvements, welcoming customers back, and working on construction projects to get Snook Bight Marina back to what it was and make it even better than before Hurricane Ian. We sincerely thank you for your patience during this time and wanted to take this opportunity to provide important updates below on specific areas we’ve been focusing on.
Fuel
Non-Ethanol Gasoline has been restored and is available for current Snook Bight customers. We are still working on getting Diesel up and running.
Wet Slips
We are expecting the docks to be delivered in early Summer. There is currently no definite date for the installation, but as we know more, we will keep you posted.
Boat Club and Boat Rental
Boat Club currently has forty-five (45) members, and as membership grows, so does our fleet. Members have started to come back sooner than anticipated, which is a good indicator that boating is starting to come back strong in Fort Myers Beach.
You heard it here first…we are bringing Boat Rentals back to the marina! Please help us spread the word to your friends and family! We have yet to set an official launch date, but we estimate it will be in the next month or two. We will let you know once we have a confirmed date.
Ship Store
Construction on the property has officially begun, and our Ship Store is underway. We do not have an official completion date yet, but the crew is moving along, and we will keep you all posted. We have made a few design changes to the Ship Store, so it will look different. The new design includes more offices and fixed restrooms (no more trailer).
Meet Our New Tenants
Please welcome our newest tenants Fort Myers Realty, Junkanoo Below Deck, and Fresh Catch Bistro!
Fort Myers Realty has leased the office upstairs. For real estate needs, please contact Captain Shawn O’Brien at 239-899-1000.
We have two new restaurants on the property operating where Bayfront Bistro used to be. Junkanoo Below Deck on the first floor and directly above on the second floor, Fresh Catch Bistro.
Come by land or by sea to enjoy diverse menus of food, weekly entertainment, and great happy hour deals.
Temporary Phone Number
Friendly reminder about our temporary phone number for the property to serve you more efficiently. This number is programmed for John, Mike, and Justin to directly receive your calls.
1 (239) 791-5395
As always, our team is here to answer any questions.
Boat Club Update 12/28/22 as of 2PM
We are happy to announce that we will open the reservation system back up and prepare for any members that want to return for boating on Wednesday, February 1st, 2023. The following six (6) boats will be available for use when we relaunch the Boat Club:
One (1) Starcraft 20 Deck boat
One (1) Starcraft 23 Deck boat
One (1) Tidewater 22 Fishing boat
Two (2) Aloha 22 Tritoons
One (1) Aloha 23 Tritoon
Due to the limited staff, Boat Club will be open Wednesday through Sunday until further notice. All memberships will be able to boat on any of those days. Boating hours will be the same from 830am to 430pm each day. Once the club is open back up to capacity, we will resume boating seven days per week and re-install the weekday membership rules.
Our primary goal is safety, so please be sure to check in with Justin, or a team member, before your first outing to receive the safety briefing paperwork, which explains the hazards and water quality precautions in the area due to the hurricane.
To re-activate your membership, please schedule a time to review the details with John Cello at [email protected]. He is available Monday through Friday to set you back up for your membership and re-align your boating months properly. Dues will remain the same for all members who start back up in 2023 when you feel comfortable boating again. All members who were active at the time of the Hurricane will not need to pay any further initiation fee considering they re-establish their membership months by 12/31/23.
We look forward to resuming Boat Club operations and helping those who want to get back out on the water again.
Marina Update 11/17/22 as of 4PM
Snook Bight Marina continues to be the only operating marina on the island. We have enjoyed getting to see some of you since our soft opening and look forward to the opportunity to serve everyone at full capacity once again. Please take a look at the status updates below on the progress our team has been making.
Dry Storage
More temporary docks are in place for launching and retrieving boats from our dry storage facility. There is still a great deal of debris in the water, and the channels still need to be cleared. However, for those who want your boat launched, we can accommodate you and are happy to see you at the marina again. Most customers have opted to wait before boating, but please know we are capable and ready to launch your boat when you feel it is safe to do so. We ask that customers continue to use SpeedyDock for boat launches and retrievals. The first launch time is 8:30 AM, and the last launch time is 4:00 PM. Link to SpeedyDock Portal: HERE
Boat Club
Boat Club will return in the future. Currently, we continue not to charge any monthly dues. We are glad to see some members have taken the opportunity to permanently relocate to Suntex Boat Club at Marina Jack in Sarasota and boat as a member of that club. Snook Bight members are welcome to boat sporadically at our other Suntex Boat Clubs until their renewal date expires in the reservation system. All club members on the current Snook Bight roster at the time of the storm will be welcome to come back to Snook Bight Boat Club once we re-open and re-organize the boating months remaining on their current term (no further initiation fee, of course). We will announce our opening day ahead of time and provide an update on how many boats will be available when we re-open. Our primary goal is to ensure the waterways are safe and enjoyable as Fort Myers Beach continues to rebuild. Please find a list of all our Suntex Boat Club locations HERE for ease of reference.
Bayfront Bistro
Many of you are probably aware that the leaders at Bayfront Bistro worked very hard to be one of the first restaurants open on the island. We are so proud to have them at Snook Bight Marina. If you are looking for signs of life back on the island and would enjoy a great meal or a cocktail, please stop by and let our friends at Bayfront Bistro take care of you for the evening. Click HERE to view the grand re-opening feature on Fox4 news.
Wet Slip Customers
Would anyone have guessed we would have both state and federal permits needed to rebuild our wet slip docks this quickly? Suntex Marinas is forging ahead with no hesitation to rebuild your marina. Permits are in hand. Docks are on order. Things will be built back better than ever at Snook Bight Marina. We look forward to having more updates on our new docks in the near future.
Fuel Sales Coming Soon
We will soon be able to provide fuel (both gas and diesel) at the fuel dispenser near the haul-out area. As the water becomes safer to navigate, we will soon announce that fuel is once again available. There is still some electrical work to be done before the fuel dispenser goes live again, but we are getting close!
Billing Update
Everyone had a free month in October as we sorted out the damage and worked hard to reopen. Dry storage customers are being billed now for November. Please keep in mind that charges on your November bill may be for storage in November and purchases made back in September in our Ship Store before the hurricane. We are back to our regular billing schedule from now on.
Temporary Phone Number
We have a temporary phone number for the property to serve you more efficiently. This number is programmed for John, Mike, and Justin to directly receive your calls.
1 (239) 791-5395
Soft Launch Opening Update 10/31/22 as of 1:30PM
We are proud to announce that our team has recovered the property at Snook Bight Marina, and we will have a soft opening on Tuesday, November 1st. Please exercise caution while on the property, as we are undergoing rigorous demolition and redevelopment efforts on site.
We will have extremely limited operations available at the opening. Dry Storage is the first and only operation ready for the soft launch on 11/1. We ask that customers continue to use SpeedyDock for boat launches and retrievals. Only customers with an appointment (SpeedyDock launch time) will be allowed on the property. The first launch time is 8:30 AM, and the last launch time is 4:00 PM. Link to SpeedyDock Portal: HERE
With our core value, MAKE IT HAPPEN, at the forefront of our thought, we weren’t afraid to roll up our sleeves, get our hands dirty and get the job done for our customers. Hurricane Ian was a challenge that devastated our community, but we rose to the challenge collectively.
Snook Bight Marina is the only operating marina on the island.
Please note: to serve you more efficiently, we have a temporary phone number for the property. This number is programmed for John, Mike, and Justin to directly receive your calls.
1 (239) 791-5393
We want to thank you for your patience, kindness, and understanding while our team navigated this difficult time. We are grateful to have such wonderful customers, and we’re excited to get everyone out on the water.
BILLING UPDATE 10/25/2022
The Snook Bight team has been working hard to restore our marina to usable conditions as quickly as possible. We have made significant progress with cleanup, and a temporary rebuild project is well underway. Here are a few instrumental updates that our team has accomplished:
Dry Storage: The last few days have been very productive inside the storage facility. The large forklift has been repaired from the surge and is now operating. It will take a few more days, but we are carefully working on picking up the boats that were stored on the first floor of the barn, and getting them positioned where they can be evaluated for damage.
For customers (or insurance adjusters) that need to look at first-floor boats, please still contact Mike Woolsey to arrange a day and time. We are not open for “walk-in” viewing, but by appointment, we will make sure you can get to your first-floor boat.
Phone: 602-686-8481
Email: [email protected]
For customers that have boats stored on the second level and above, we are happy to report that we still have not seen any damage. We anticipate having the first floor cleared over the next week (approximately) and we will then be able to access boats on the upper levels of the barn.
Docks: The team has taken what was left of the docks and installed temporary staging slips, launch docks, and ramps.
Structural and Electrical: All inspections except for fire have been completed and communicated to the utility companies.
Billing Update: For October, there will be no monthly billing for any customers regarding our business lines (Dry Storage, Wet Slips, and Boat Club).
Beyond October, we plan to re-establish billing as lines of business and services are restored at the marina.
Hurricane Ian Update as of October 18, 2022, at 11am
Please note the schedule for the island until further notice:
OPEN: Wednesday-Sunday, 9 am to 5 pm
CLOSED: Monday and Tuesday (residents included)
Mondays and Tuesdays are dedicated debris removal days, so only first responders and utility workers will be allowed entry to the island.
Our team has cleared the front pad, inside the Ship Store, and the parking lot of debris. We are waiting for the necessary parts to start clearing the floor of the boat barn.
At this time, there is still no water or power at the marina.
Dry Storage Customers- You will not be required to move your boat(s) to another storage facility. The building performed exceptionally well in the storm. Structurally, we have found no damage, so no structural work will be required. If you are a current month-to-month or annual dry storage customer, your boat(s) can remain in our facility while we work our way back to providing complete services. For now, we are unable to launch and retrieve boats, but we are relieved to be able to continue storing boats in our facility, as many other facilities are currently not as fortunate.
Hurricane Ian Update as of October 12, 2022, at 5pm
First-Floor Dry Storage Customers: Our clean-up mission is underway. Although the marina is still closed for business, we are now reaching out to owners with boats stored on the first floor to make appointments for you and/or your representative to see your boat. By appointment, a Snook Bight representative will escort you to your boat so you can take photos and note the boat’s condition. Please help us coordinate this effort by making an appointment.
Email or call Mike Woolsey, using the following contact information:
Mike Woolsey
Phone: 602-686-8481
email: [email protected]
Please send your preferred days/times (between 8am to 3pm) to Mike, and we will do our best to accommodate.
Boat Club Members: All Boat Club membership monthly dues are paused until further notice. Once we can rebuild the marina, we will contact you regarding our new Boat Club and determine if you would like to continue with no additional initiation fee to re-activate. We would be so glad to have you back and on the water at that time with Suntex. Until then, we will honor any of you who wish to boat at Marina Jack in Sarasota, Little Harbor in Ruskin, or any of our other Suntex Boat Club locations so you can get some relief out on the water (no further dues charge required until your expiration date set in the reservation system).
You will still have access to our Suntex Boat Club website and can login at the marina of your choice with your regular Snook Bight username and password with Suntex. There is no action required on your part to receive this benefit until your expiration date that was on your agreement.
Please find a list of all our Suntex Boat Club locations HERE for ease of reference.
A detailed email regarding membership reimbursement options is in your inbox, please get in touch with John Cello via email with any follow-up questions specific to your membership after reading the email.
Our next steps depend purely on the speed at which the clean-up and rebuild will allow, but we are determined to do so and re-establish the great Suntex Boat Club at Snook Bight Marina.
Hurricane Ian Update as of October 10, 2022, at 10am
Wet Slip Customers: Suntex Marinas, parent company of Snook Bight Marina, has many locations. If you find a Suntex location that appeals to you and would like to move your boat there, please let John, Mike, or Justin know, and we can help you contact that marina. Most marinas are at capacity. We will do our best to assist in communicating with the team members at our various sister properties. Link to view locations: suntex.com/marinas/#finder
Dry Storage Customers: As of Sunday, October 9, our staff can now get on the property. The marina is NOT yet safe enough to invite customers onsite. Making access available to customers is a priority. We understand how important it is to assess the condition of boats. We will update this page frequently as progress is made toward that goal. Customers who own vessels on the ground floor of the storage building (or their representatives) will be the initial focus for access.
Hurricane Ian Update as of October 7, 2022, at 10am
Fort Myers Beach remains closed for emergency operations and storm recovery. Unfortunately, we do not know a target date when we can get our teams on site to begin any assessment, cleanup, or have utilities restored. We understand this could be days or weeks and are currently at the mercy of local law enforcement direction and guidelines.
The State of Florida DEP has inspected and assisted in the following updates:
- Wet Storage – all docks are damaged or missing from the property. There are two boats remaining in the water at Snook Bight.
- Dry Storage, Boat Rental, Fuel, Ship Store, and Boat Club are closed indefinitely.
- Dry Storage – All boats inside the dry storage before the storm are still onsite. Levels 2 and higher visually appear ok, but are certainly subject to further inspections. Level 1 was impacted by the surge and there is potential damage for some boats. It is too soon to tell which specific vessels sustained damage or the severity of the damage.
- Forklifts were submerged and will be the biggest hurdle. Once on-site, we will need to get them operational to move boats to a safe and accessible area.
Our next steps are purely dependent on access to the island to begin clean-up and further assessment. We have police officers stationed at the beginning of our property as well as at the entrance of Publix. We are as anxious as you and stand ready to be of assistance once we are granted access. As soon as we can get on-site, we will let you know.
Point of Contact: Please use [email protected] for all communications
Resource Links:
We want to thank our Community Partner, Matthews-Currie Ford, for donating a truck to us so we could get equipment and supplies to Fort Myers Beach.
