Outdoor kitchens in Fort Myers

Fort Myers lies on the Caloosahatchee, in the brackish estuary that runs from the Franklin Lock to Shell Point and San Carlos Bay. Since 1915 the city limits have reached the river's north shore, and the State deeded the river bottom to the City. Fort Myers grew from an Army post on the Caloosahatchee, first set up during the Seminole War of 1841–1842 and re-established and named Fort Myers in 1850. Settlers moved into the abandoned fort in 1866, and First Street was laid out in the original town plan of 1876.

Thomas Edison first visited Fort Myers in 1885 and in 1886 built his winter home, Seminole Lodge, at today's 2350 McGregor Boulevard; in 1916 Henry Ford bought the neighboring estate, The Mangoes. Mina Edison deeded the estate to the City and dedicated it in 1947, the City added the Ford estate in 1988, and the site has its own zoning district, Edison-Ford Cultural. Within the city limits, McGregor Boulevard is designated both a state historic highway and a local historic scenic highway, and living palm trees in its right-of-way may not be removed without being replaced. Owners along the boulevard who build a driveway or entrance must relocate any palm it displaces as close to its original spot as possible.

Inside the city limits, building permits come from the City of Fort Myers, whose Building, Permitting and Inspections division reviews plans and inspects the work, and the City offers an "Am I in the City?" map. Neighboring communities such as McGregor, Iona and Gateway are unincorporated, and there Lee County Community Development handles permits. In Fort Myers, electrical work, plumbing, gas lines and propane tanks all need permits, gas work must be done by a licensed contractor registered with the City, and LP tanks of 100 gallons or more also need a separate Fire Prevention permit. The state's 2026 exemption for minor work does not apply in Fort Myers to properties in a flood hazard area or to electrical, plumbing, mechanical, structural or gas work.

In Fort Myers, accessory structures must meet the setbacks of their zoning district, may not stand in the front setback or the front half of the lot, and may never sit in an easement or the 25-foot waterfront setback; on single-family lots the rear setback is 10 feet. Structures under 200 square feet in residential districts may come within 5 feet of side and rear lot lines. How your kitchen is classified, we clarify with the City during planning.

Fort Myers has four local historic districts, Downtown, Dean Park, Edison Park and Seminole Park, where new construction and exterior changes need a certificate of review, and patios visible from the street go before the Historic Preservation Commission. The City's design guidelines place new accessory buildings to the side or rear and keep prefabricated ones out of view from the street. In Pelican Preserve, a special development area inside the city, a design review committee reviews all building and site work, including exterior materials and the type and location of accessory structures, and approves the plans before they are submitted to the City.

During Hurricane Ian in September 2022, storm surge pushed up the Caloosahatchee into Fort Myers, reversed the river's flow and flooded city streets, with maximum inundation of 5 to 8 feet above ground, and the tide gauge near downtown measured 7.26 feet above mean higher high water. In Lee County, at least 52,514 structures were affected, 5,369 of them destroyed and 14,245 with major damage. The FEMA flood map panel covering the City of Fort Myers along McGregor Boulevard and the Caloosahatchee took effect on November 17, 2022 and shows Zones AE, with base flood elevations of 9 to 12 feet, VE and X. A Limit of Moderate Wave Action marks how far inland breaking waves of about 1.5 feet can still reach. In Fort Myers, all improvements and repairs to a building within a 12-month period count together, and if their cumulative cost reaches 50 percent of the building's market value, the building must meet current flood rules, including elevation to or above the base flood elevation. The City's FEMA packet lists outside improvements such as detached structures, gazebos, yard lights and landscaping as excluded from that calculation.