Informational community meeting planned for San Carlos Island Maritime Park
Lee County is encouraging neighbors and shrimping industry stakeholders to attend an upcoming informational community meeting about plans for the San Carlos Island Maritime Park off Main Street in Fort Myers Beach.
The one-hour informational event will begin at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 21, in the community center at the Pine Ridge Government Complex, 15670 Pine Ridge Road in Fort Myers.
The meeting format includes a formal presentation at 5:45 p.m. with time for one-on-one questions prior to the meeting’s conclusion at 6:30 p.m.
The county is redeveloping San Carlos Island Maritime Park to restore the historic working waterfront and adjacent county facilities and support Lee County’s long-term recovery, following the devastation from Hurricane Ian in 2022. The plan will allow for marine operations to support disaster response when needed. The site will continue to support routine government maritime operations during non-disasters as well. No public access is planned at this time.
“The county is prioritizing the redevelopment of San Carlos Island Maritime Park to restore the historic working waterfront and adjacent county maritime facilities,” Lee County spokeswoman Betsy Clayton said. “This dual‑purpose approach ensures the facility meets the day‑to‑day needs of the commercial shrimping community and county marine operations while also strengthening the county’s resilience during future storm events.”
San Carlos Island Maritime Park is a 5.5-acre waterfront property owned and managed by Lee County Government located between Fort Myers Beach and south Fort Myers off Main Street on San Carlos Island. It was closed after damage from Hurricane Ian in 2022.
The docks were destroyed by the storm. Part of the plans for the park is to restore those docks.
“We are still in the design phase, and that’s part of the purpose of the community meeting,” Clayton said.
The park was also formerly home to Trico Shrimp Company. In March, the Lee County Board of County Commissioners voted to terminate its lease with the company.
The long-term lease, which has existed between the county and Trico since 1994, was broken by the county with cause after Lee County Attorney Richard Wesch said the shrimp company failed to maintain the property after Hurricane Ian. Lee County Assistant Manager Glen Salyer said the reason was also due to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s insistence that the county would need a submerged land lease agreement for work the county intends to do for dredging and other work the county is intending to do as part of a $7.5 million grant the county received in 2024 for the shrimp docks at the property.
The $7.5 million grant was announced by Gov. Ron DeSantis in Fort Myers in 2024. According to DeSantis, the funds were to help rebuild the docks for shrimp boaters with a bulkhead, while also allowing the county to use it for disaster preparedness and emergency response.
For more information on the county’s plans for the park, visit www.leeparks.org and Lee County’s Parks Project Information Tool to learn more about the restoration. For more information about the project, email MaritimePark@leegov.com.