Deb and Ed M wrote:
It just depends....
Many parks in the SW got clobbered by Irma - a lot of trailers have been ruined; so it's possible that there are some new openings? On the other hand, it's going to take a long while to haul all those damaged trailers away....
My neighbor in Michigan, lost her (park model) trailer in Everglades City to flooding. She's not bothering to go to FL this winter - she was told it would be several months before her flooded trailer was removed; and then she said "I really doubt I'll be able to find a replacement trailer for many months" since so many are in the same boat. I can see how trailer parks will be in a state of flux this winter - you might be able to snag a spot temporarily available?
The most important sentence above is "It just depends..." There have been a few doom and gloom posts in this thread and others about SW FL campgrounds vis a vis Irma. For the most part, SW FL is open for business. I live in a gulf front community between Everglades City and Marco Island/Naples. The property next door to us on the west is Collier Seminole State Park and on the east Everglades NP and Great Cypress Nat'l Preserve. Collier Seminole SP campground is fully open for business and has been for some weeks now. Except that it is out of season, the Everglades Isle Motorcoach in Everglades City received little damage and will open on Jan 1, 2018. Their delayed opening is due to damage to other City structures (restaurants, gas stations, post office etc) that are needed to service the community. Chokoloskee Island south of Everglades City is not ready for business yet and that would include the ORA RV Resort.
I am not aware of any of the many Naples RV parks being closed. One park had a number of old trailers on site which sustained damage but even they appear to be open and thriving (I ride by it a couple of times per week). Likewise I'm not aware of any wholesale closing in the Fort Myers, Bonita Springs, Arcadia areas. My daughter and I are taking our motor homes to Jolly Roger RV Park in the Keys for Thanksgiving and they are already in full swing. 99% of the other businesses that cater to tourism are also open and busy.
If I had to guess, there might be additional availability of sites due to people deciding to go elsewhere due to Irma without actually checking. OTOH, some of those vacated sites might be taken up by out of state contractors working in the area and as roofs get repaired, pool cages replaced, and trees cut and removed, those temporary workers will start going back home.
Guess my message is that our busy season is coming and most businesses are ready now and those that aren't will be ASAP so as to not miss 'the season' so if you are interested in getting a RV spot somewhere, call and chances are you'll succeed and when you get here you'll not, except for people talking, realize that anything happened here.
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