Poinsettia Christmas tree to return to Fort Myers Beach

A holiday staple is starting to take shape on Fort Myers Beach.

The community is taking on the task of building the poinsettia tree in the middle of the debris in Times Square.

It hurts Lindsey McDermott to see Fort Myers Beach after Ian.

“This is very emotional and a lot to take in,” McDermott said.

Before the storm, Fort Myers Beach was a glimmer of hope.

And hope is what the town needs now more than ever.

“You’re seeing these little bits of pieces of tradition and memory that are still here,” said Cammie Lynch.

The poinsettia tree has been a tradition since 1995, according to Town Mayor Dan Allers.

“It was something that everyone was taking pictures of and everybody that loved it,” Allers said.

Lynch wasn’t going to let the tradition die out.

“Somebody put one out on Thanksgiving Day. And then another girl came. Two more girls took two more. So when we came there was just three. And it’s growing,” Lynch said.

In the center of destruction, more poinsettias show the true strength and resilience on Fort Myers Beach.

Allers said the people coming together is keeping him positive this holiday season.

“You know, if the storm did one thing, it brought us closer,” Allers said.

The tree should be ready to go within the next couple of weeks.