Lee County commissioners vote to acquire Olsen Marina for $1.9 million
The Lee County Board of County Commissioners voted Tuesday to go under contract to acquire the Olsen Marina at 1100 Main Street on Fort Myers Beach for $1.9 million.
The county is planning to build a boat ramp on the San Carlos Island property, according to Robert Clemens, Director of Lee County Lands.
The county commissioners have been looking into construction a boat ramp on the island since Hurricane Ian devastated a whole section of the waterfront there.
The resolution approved on Tuesday authorizes county staff to close on the purchase along with $60,000 in closing costs for 28,358 square feet of land owned by Olsen Marine Holdings LLC.
Lee County Commissioner David Mulicka, whose district includes Fort Myers Beach, called the purchase “an exciting opportunity.”
Lee County Commissioner Cecil Pendergrass said he was excited to give the public more access to the water through a public boat ramp there. He asked Clemens how many boat slips would be able to fit at the parcel.
Clemens said boat access would be “in and of itself would be very limited for any boat access, for a boat ramp for other activities: at the property but that it was part of a larger acquisition the county is working on next door. “This would be in conjunction with another parcel that is contiguous to the east if we were able to get that,” Clemens said.
Clemens said a plan hasn’t been finalized for the boat ramp and how many boats could fit. Clemens said there would have to be road improvements made. Olsen Marina has not been an active marina since Hurricane Ian.
Next door are four parcels formerly owned by the late Bill Semmer, which includes a marina that is listed at $7.45 million, a house and a warehouse, along with the former home of Semmer Electric. Semmer Electric has since been operating out of another property on Fort Myers Beach.
Mulicka said there could ultimately be 38 trailer parking spaces across two and a half acres if Lee County was able to also acquire the Semmer’s property, which is owned by the late Bill Semmer’s descendants.
Further down Main Street is Salty Sam’s Marina, a much larger property that includes boat slips and the Parrot Key Caribbean Grill.
Salty Sam’s Marina owner Matt Hanson said he is supportive of the county’s plans for a boat ramp if done with the proper planning.
“The County’s purchase of land on San Carlos Island to develop a public boat ramp certainly aids local boating access,” Hanson said. “As Southwest Florida continues to grow, access points to the water are critically needed. A well-designed ramp has the potential to bring more boaters into the area, benefiting nearby businesses like Salty Sam’s Marina, Parrot Key Caribbean Grill, and the soon-to-open Marina Cantina. It’s an opportunity for more visitors to discover everything our waterfront has to offer.”
Hanson said he believes Main Street will need “long-overdue improvements” to support the project. If so, he said the plans could be “another win for the community.”
San Carlos Island he said, “could benefit from refreshed infrastructure, better traffic flow, and a more welcoming entrance to Fort Myers Beach.”
Hanson is concerned though, that San Carlos Boulevard is “already a heavily trafficked corridor, especially during peak season. Sending even more traffic toward the Beach and this new ramp in the form of large trucks with trailers, often slow-moving and difficult to maneuver, is bound to increase congestion,” he said.
“Ultimately, we’re hopeful that if the project moves forward, it does so with thoughtful planning and infrastructure upgrades,” Hanson said.
Lee County Commissioner David Mulicka, whose district includes Fort Myers Beach, promoted the deal to county legislators and county government officials in order to place a public boat ramp there.
The county was given a $7.5 million state grant last year to rebuild San Carlos Maritime Park further down Main Street. The park housed Trico Shrimp and shrimp boats. There is also an old school building there. The county had been considering a public boat ramp there but there is not enough room, Mulicka said. Mulicka said the county is replacing and expanding about 400 feet of new heavy-duty seawall, new boat docks for barges and shrimp boats and a new parking lot with drainage and other site improvements with the grant to fund those improvements. The county also uses the boat ramp there.
Mulicka said the docks there will remain accessible for shrimp boats. “We support the shrimping industry there,” Mulicka said.
Grant Erickson, owner of Erickson & Jensen Seafood a little bit down the road on San Carlos Island, said he supports the county’s plans for a public boat ramp.
“I think it’s the right spot for it,” Ericksom said.
Erickson said he is awaiting county movement on the county’s other property to bring back more docking space for shrimp boats. “We’re moving along but it’s still quite the struggle,” Erickson said of the shrimp business.
Erickson said there are not enough docks for shrimp boats.
“I have boats that want to come into San Carlos Island but there is not enough room for them to park,” Erickson said.
Erickson said the shrimp docks that he rebuilt after Hurricane Ian represent only one-third of the shrimp boat docks that stood before the hurricane.
Erickson said county work on the property that has supported Trico Shrimp Co. “can’t come soon enough.”