Soon, if you're headed to downtown Fort Myers to grab a bite to eat, drink or even shop, you won't have to pay to park after 5 p.m.
City leaders voted to approve free street parking permanently after 5 p.m. on weekdays and on weekends.
This comes after two temporary extensions of free parking after 5 p.m. were implemented this summer while the Caloosahatchee Bridge was closed for improvements.
NBC2 spoke to city of Fort Myers Mayor Kevin Anderson. He said the goal is to encourage more business in the downtown area.
"We want those spaces to be available for those who want to come down to visit downtown, whether it be to have a meal or popping in one of our bars and have a drink or shop," Anderson said.
Some businessowners said more needs to be done to drive business downtown during the daytime hours before 5 p.m.
"Is there a way to have a parking fee, but also an incentive for people to purchase and support businesses downtown," Dr. Tim Ferguson, owner of Enjewel Boutique, said.
He also suggested implementing parking ticket validation at local businesses.
"Is there a way to validate that so that if they purchase something from my store or they have a meal in one of the restaurants, they can get their pass validated," Ferguson said
Anderson also weighed in on ticketing in downtown Fort Myers.
"We'd rather see no tickets being written and people doing what they're supposed to do rather than tickets being written," Anderson said
City leaders will decide when the new parking ordinance will go into effect. Count on NBC2 to update you once that happens.
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