Parking isn’t free on beach
Though there is no rate listed on Fort Myers Beach parking meter signs currently, the town still is charging $6 an hour when motorists use the town’s app to pay.
Motorists using the town’s parking app will find that the charge is $6 an hour even though the town currently has the rate on the signs blank as the town works to update the signage.
The Town of Fort Myers Beach Council voted last month to raise the rates on the town-owned parking spaces from $5 to $6 in order to generate more revenue to fill a budget gap.
During discussions among councilmembers, the town council agreed to set a meeting in the near-future to discuss the parking situation further with local businesses and the public though that meeting hasn’t yet been publicly announced.
A handful of local businesses downtown publicly objected to the increased rates, saying the increase in parking meter rates would hurt business from locals particularly in the offseason. The business owners all said that traffic was down over the summer.
In the days after the vote, the parking meter rate signs still said $5 an hour though now the signs are blank.
“As of now, we have removed the previous parking rates from nearly all signage throughout Town, with only a few remaining,” Town of Fort Myers Beach Public Information Officer Abigail Eberhart said. “Updating the signs to reflect the new rates will take several weeks, but our teams are working diligently to complete the process as efficiently as possible.”
The town council’s decision, following a recommendation by Town of Fort Myers Beach Manager Will McKannay to raise the rates, occurred at a point in time in which one of the busiest parking lots in town remains closed. Lynn Hall Memorial Park, which is owned by Lee County, has been closed for months since work began to rebuild the restroom facility at the park. The parking lot, which has about 125 parking spaces, is expected to remain closed until sometime late next year when the county’s rebuild of the Fort Myers Beach Pier is completed.
The town began offering non-residents parking passes for $300, which are good through Dec. 31, 2027. The parking spaces cover all town-owned parking spaces except streetside parking spots and the Waistina Way parking lot. They don’t cover any private lots or county-owned lots. The town also increased the cost of its resident parking passes from $50 to $75 per year.