Bahama Shutters on Fort Myers Beach, FL
The island is choosing what it wants to look like again, and a great deal of what
is going up is reaching for the old beach-cottage character. Bahamas are part of that vocabulary
rather than an accessory to it.
The look the rebuild is reaching for
Estero Island was low, wooden, louvred and shaded before it was anything else, and much of the
new construction is deliberately quoting that — metal roofs, deep overhangs, shutters.
A Bahama shutter hinges at the head of the window and props out
over it. On a new elevated cottage it looks correct in a way that no other storm product does, and
on a surviving older house it looks like it always belonged.
Almost nothing for salt to attack
A hinge and a prop. No motor, no track, no wheels, no fabric. A few hundred yards from the Gulf
that short list is a genuine engineering advantage, not a talking point — particularly on a
property that stands empty between guests or seasons.
And the sun
- Permanent shade on Gulf-facing glass, every day of the year
- Furnishings and flooring on that elevation stop fading, which on a rental is a real running cost
- The room behind runs cooler through the afternoon
- Daytime privacy on a window facing a lane or a neighbouring property
Rated, or decorative
A great deal of what is sold as a Bahama in Florida carries no approval at all. Decorative is a
legitimate purchase if shade and character are what you are buying, but it is not opening
protection, it does not count on a wind mitigation form and a building department will not treat it
as protection. We will tell you which one is in the quote. We supply and install Bahamas; unlike our
accordions and roll downs they are not built in our shop.
A Bahama covers one window at one width — a deck or balcony opening wants a
screen, and a long list of rear windows is
cheaper in accordions.
Permitting through the Town of Fort Myers Beach
The Town runs its own building department, and post-Ian it is dealing with an extraordinary volume of work — which means submittals get looked at properly and timelines are what they are. We specify to the current requirements rather than to what used to pass. Permitting is handled as part of the job.
Talk to us about Bahama shutters on Fort Myers Beach
Tell us what you are looking at and someone from our team will call you the same business day. We go through it on the phone first — your openings, the products that actually fit, what is involved — and if it is a fit we come out and put a written quote in your hand. No charge and no obligation.
Questions we get asked
Do they suit the new elevated houses?
Very well. Much of the rebuild is deliberately reaching for the old beach-cottage character, and louvred shutters are part of that language rather than an addition to it.
Will salt destroy them?
There is very little on them for salt to reach – a hinge and a prop. That simplicity is most of why we recommend them on the island.
Are they hurricane rated?
Only when specified and permitted as a rated unit. A great deal of what is sold in Florida is decorative with no approval, and the two look much the same from the street.
More questions? Our full hurricane shutter & screen FAQ covers products, service, permitting and financing.
More in Fort Myers Beach: accordion shutters · Bahama shutters · roll down shutters · storm panels · roll down screens · impact windows · everything we do in Fort Myers Beach
Florida Screen & Shutter, LLC · 883 NE 27th Ln #5, Cape Coral, FL 33909 · (239) 409-0426
License #SCC131152867 · Fully Licensed & Insured Florida Contractor · MagnaTrack President’s Club, #6 in the country, 2025