More free parking hits downtown Fort Myers, a lifeline for struggling businesses

Free parking has returned to downtown Fort Myers' nightlife ― for a little while, anyway.

The change took affect Tuesday to help struggling restaurants and businesses in downtown. Many of them have reported declining business since the Caloosahatchee Bridge closed for renovations in May, says Fort Myers Mayor Kevin Anderson.

The mayor brought the issue Monday to the Fort Myers City Council after meeting with representatives from Fort Myers restaurants. The council approve the change.

"I was listening to them and the struggles they're faced with..." Anderson says about downtown businesses. "Summertimes are typically slow. It appears that right now, it's a lot slower and that the bridge may be playing a part in it."

Until the bridge reopens, parking on downtown streets will now be free after 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, according to the City of Fort Myers. Parking was already free Sundays and holidays.

The change won't affect downtown's parking garages, though.

"The parking garages are bonded," Anderson says. "And so we owe it to the bond holders to make money to pay those bonds. So they remain paid parking 24-7."

Some downtown Fort Myers businesses struggle after bridge closing, parking change

The move comes seven months after the city adopted new parking stations and rules in downtown Fort Myers. Some businesses have reported dwindling attendance since then.

Downtown restaurant Blu Sushi plans to close June 28, and manager Larry Lare blamed the bridge closing, the city's new parking rules and the rising cost of labor and goods.

“Everyone’s struggling right now,” Lare told The News-Press in a June 18 article about Blu Sushi closing. “It’s difficult to stay afloat.”

Parking is a big issue and has been keeping customers away, Lare said. “People are upset and don’t want to come down."

Then there's the Caloosahatchee Bridge closing for 10 weeks. Diverted traffic from the bridge through downtown Fort Myers forced the monthly Art Walk event to be canceled earlier this month (although organizer Lisa Sbuttoni of the River District Alliance expects it to return in July).

“The bridge is really bad,” Lare said. “It shut down Art Walk. Events like that keep us going.”

Sbuttoni, president and CEO of the nonprofit Alliance, says she's heard mixed reviews about the parking situation from downtown businesses.

Some say it keeps people from hogging parking spots so more people, overall, can visit downtown. But others say it's had a chilling effect on their bottom line.

"I've had businesses saying, 'Well, it's a good thing because it's turning over people,'" Sbuttoni says. "And I've had businesses saying it's a bad thing. …

"Businesses right next to each other have had different experiences. One said, 'This is really good.' And the other one has said, 'No, this is really bad. Its messing up my Saturday business. It's messing up my nighttime business.'"

More possible solutions for downtown Fort Myers parking

Anderson agrees that the bridge closure might be hurting businesses, but he's not convinced parking is a significant factor. He's often seen downtown Fort Myers packed with people since the new parking rules went into effect.

"I see the parking spaces filled, and I see the people down there," he says. "Now are they spending money like they did in the past? I can't answer that."

Summer is traditionally a slow season for Fort Myers businesses, he says. So it's hard to tell if it's the time of year, the bridge, parking or other factors.

"I'm not one who buys into that parking's causing this," Anderson says. "And the reason I say this is you see restaurants closing in places where they have parking lots. It's a combination (of factors)."

Still, Anderson says he and his staff, over the next two months, will discuss "other things that maybe could improve the situation."

Some of the solutions they're considering: Finding more parking for downtown employees (also struggling with the new parking rules), bringing back valet parking and extending the maximum time limit for parking from two hours to three (with the continued option for an additional hour at a premium fee).

Regardless, Sbuttoni says she's actually been seeing record-breaking revenues for Alliance events, including its annual New Year's Eve and St. Patrick's Day block parties. Her monthly Art Walk and Music Walk can be hard to predict, though. People often stay away if the weather is bad.

This Friday's Music Walk and next month's Art Walk are both expected to happen, Sbuttoni says. Although she's considering moving Music Walk's musicians indoors, due to expected rain. She says she'll make the decision at about 2 p.m. Friday.

More about Fort Myers parking, Caloosahatchee Bridge closing

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) closed the Caloosahatchee Bridge on May 31 to finish installing an eight-foot sidewalk on the west side of the southbound bridge. The popular bridge connects Fort Myers and North Fort Myers.

FDOT plans to reopen the bridge Aug. 11.

Downtown Fort Myers' new parking system and fees started in December 2023. The automated parking stations replaced the old coin-operated parking meters in the downtown area.

Unlike before, the new meters were being enforced before and after traditional business hours. Until this week's change, you had to pay to park in metered spots from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Parking is free on Sundays and holidays, though.

Parking fees are 50 cents to $1.50 per hour for up to two hours, depending on the location and time of year. A third-hour extension costs $3. You can also pay for parking in a 10-hour block.

The city did away with Zip Zones (free two-hour parking), although there are still limited parking spots for free, 15- and 30-minute parking.

Parking garages are $1 per hour or a maximum of $10 per day.

Learn more about downtown parking at cityftmyers.com/2077/Parking.

News-Press food reporter Robyn George contributed to this article.

Charles Runnells is an arts and entertainment reporter for The News-Press and the Naples Daily News. To reach him, call 239-335-0368 (for tickets to shows, call the venue) or email him at [email protected]. Follow or message him on social media: Facebook (facebook.com/charles.runnells.7), X (formerly Twitter) (@charlesrunnells), Threads (@crunnells1) and Instagram (@crunnells1).

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Free street parking back in downtown Fort Myers to help restaurants