Ft. Myers:Mariner's Lodge & Marina on San Carlos Boulevard near Fort Myers Beach has been sold for $6.1 million

The landmark Mariner's Lodge & Marina on San Carlos Boulevard near Fort Myers Beach has been sold for $6.1 million to a developer who's considering putting a condominium on the site.Teranga Management Inc., which had owned the inn since 1999, sold it to L&M Construction Management of Naples, said Bob Brown of RE/MAX Realty Group, who listed and marketed the property and is also a former owner.Mariner's Lodge, which has 16 efficiencies, 16 motel rooms, two one-bedroom apartments and a 16-slip marina, was built in 1964.
Brown said he bought the lodge in 1981 for $375,000, soon after plans were announced to build the Boardwalk Caper condominium just down the road."I knew it couldn't miss," he said. "The day they announced Boardwalk Caper, I went out and got in my car and bought Mariner's Lodge."
He owned the property for 15 years before selling it to his ex-wife, Sandra Stilwell, in a divorce settlement. She sold it to Teranga in 1999 for $2 million.L&M plans on operating the lodge for another year to 18 months and then building a four-story condominium over parking with 25 to 30 3,000-square-foot units, Brown said.Brown is a longtime player in the hotel industry. He moved to Lee County in 1969 from Madison, Wis., and his family built the Sandpiper resort on Fort Myers Beach.