What do you do when a hurricane wipes out your dream just three months after you buy it?

Most people quit. Mike and Dawn didn’t.

In this episode of The Real Estate Pessimist, we share the raw, no-fluff story of two Midwest entrepreneurs who bought an iconic bar on Kristi’s home turf—Fort Myers Beach—only to watch it get annihilated by Hurricane Ian. But instead of walking away, they rolled up their sleeves, rallied a broken island, and started rebuilding something even stronger.

This isn’t just a comeback story.

This is what it looks like when locals lead.

💥 What we cover:

• How Mike and Dawn lost a business, then tripled their impact in the community
• The emotional (and financial) rollercoaster of post-disaster investing & rebuilding
• Why insurance isn’t a magic fix. Just ask their $8M rebuild
• The behind-the-scenes of navigating FEMA, permitting, and red tape
• What really motivates a local developer to rebuild when big players jump in.
• Why locals with grit are the future of community development

Truth bomb:

Storms will come. It’s not about what gets destroyed. It’s about who chooses to be resilient, get back up, and become a beacon of hope for those around them.

Contact info:

• https://www.thewhalefmb.com/
• Instagram: @thewhalefmb
• Facebook: facebook.com/thewhalefmb
• Dawn Miller on facebook
• dawnmiller@thewhalefb.com

🎧 Listen now: https://www.youtube.com/@TheRealEstatePessimist/videos📍 Find us on all platforms:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheRealEstatePessimist/videos

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/30iW9NGVaPVqIBZqf8iNd5?si=aa41afe7b90b4315

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-real-estate-pessimist/id1785003692

🎧 Want more from Kristi?

Hear how she’s helping locals become developers in their own communities by removing the gatekeeping.

→ Listen to the Local Real Estate Developer Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@LocalRealEstateDeveloper/podcasts

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