Fort Myers Publix being demolished to make way for redevelopment

A Fort Myers Publix is being demolished by the owners of a local shopping center as part of a redevelopment.

The store is in Daniels Crossing, a 30-year-old center at the intersection of Daniels Parkway and Six Mile Cypress in the city.

According to the center’s owners, the 48,890-square-foot Publix, which closed in June, will be fully rebuilt and is scheduled to reopen in June 2025. The store that was knocked down, and a 4,700-square-foot space adjacent to it, will be replaced by a new 48,387-square-foot grocery store and a 3,010-square foot Publix Liquors.

A spokesperson did not respond to questions about what will be done with the approximately 2,200 square feet that will be left over from the original configuration.

The center’s other tenants will remain open during the construction.

The Publix-anchored shopping center is owned by a partnership between St. Petersburg-based The Sembler Co. and Tampa-based Forge Capital Partners. The pair bought the center through the Forge Real Estate Partners IV investment fund in 2021. It paid $15.5 million for the 112,003-square-foot center.

In a statement announcing the Publix project, Sembler’s senior vice president of development Josh Beyer says that the redevelopment was planned “with stability, relevancy and beautification in mind.”

Upgrading the Publix store, he says, will enhance the “overall shopping experience and secure the shopping centers retail ‘engine’ for the future.”

Other tenants on Daniels Crossing roster include Duck Donuts, Millennium Physician Group, Potts Sport Café, School of Rock, Sugaring NYC and Subway.

Lakeland-based Publix currently has 1,376 stores in eight states. Of those, 869 stores are in Florida.

According to its website, it’s opened four stores since June 13. A 46,791-square-foot store on Normandy Boulevard in Jacksonville is scheduled to open Aug. 15.