Lee County is planning a significant redevelopment on San Carlos Island, transforming a vacant lot into a new public boat ramp. The county commissioners recently approved moving forward with purchasing the site for this purpose.
"It's an exciting overall project," said Lee County Commissioner David Mulicka. He added, "Using different federal, state and local dollars to purchase and actually make a standalone boat ramp facility."
Local residents like Dean Beck are eager for the new development.
"Only boat ramp we know of right now, Salty Sam's on San Carlos Island, every place else you had to put in with a forklift and stuff," said Beck. "So we have a small boat. We would use it, for sure."
However, not everyone shares the same enthusiasm. Dave Richert expressed some concerns.
"We want to make sure that it's not something where you price out the locals," said Richert. He continued, "What attracted us to Fort Myers is the laid-back atmosphere, you know, we don't want Fort Lauderdale or Miami."
Salty Sam’s Marina, a nearby facility, is welcoming the competition.
"We actually think it's a great thing. We think it's gonna bring more boaters to the area," said Ryan Van Denabeele, marketing and operations director at Salty Sam’s Marina. "We do have a couple of restaurants here. We have boat service. So more boats, the better."
Christine Gala, a former shrimp company owner, voiced her concerns about the impact on the seafood industry.
"The whole industry there at Fort Myers Beach, there were 45 boats there, and now I think there are maybe 10 boats," said Gala. "There's no place for them to dock that that's a real problem, and we're getting less and less."
Commissioner Mulicka reassured that the fisheries will remain unaffected.
"They're two separate projects, and that project is still fully funded to rebuild all the waterfront, the new seawall, new docks, new parking lot," said Mulicka. "We are pro shrimp, and they have nothing to worry about that opportunity."
He expressed optimism about the future of the area.
"We can't wait for the shrimping industry to succeed, and all these recreational boaters and jet skiers and kids catching fish off the docks. It's going to be great," said Mulicka.
Lee County still needs to secure permits, design plans, and complete roadwork before starting the project. However, they remain committed to moving forward with the redevelopment on San Carlos Island.