Roar Offshore Fort Myers Beach Scrubbed for 2024

Though Hurricane Ian careened into the Southwest Florida a year-and-a-half ago, infrastructure recovery from the Category 5 storm—particularly in decimated Fort Myers Beach—is far from complete. That fact has forced lead organizer Tim Hill and his team to postpone the October 11-13 Roar Offshore Fort Myers Beach Races—the final regular-season event on the 2024 Offshore Powerboat Association schedule—until 2025.

Fans of Roar Offshore Fort Myers Beach will have to wait another year for powerboat racing to return to the area. Photo by Pete Boden copyright Shoot 2 Thrill Pix.

The majority of infrastructure concerns, said Hill, revolve around the wet and dry pits. Severe damage and outright destruction of Fort Myers Beach hotels from the storm also led to concerns of lodging scarcity during the event.

“We understand the disappointment this may cause, but the safety and quality of the event are paramount,” said Hill in a press release from Roar Offshore Fort Myers Beach. “Being full-time residents of this resilient community, we understand the importance of an event such as Roar Offshore to help in the return to normalcy

“As we approach critical planning stages for the, race unfortunately the land, docks and lodging needed for this large-scale multi-day event just are not in place,” he continued. “We appreciate your understanding and continued support of Roar Offshore Fort Myers Beach Power Boat Races.”