A helpful guide to parking at the beach in Lee County, Florida this season. What to know
Summer may be over, but sunshine and beach joy never end in Florida. We are about to embark on another snowbird and tourist season in Southwest Florida, the first one after a full year since Hurricane Ian hit the region on Sept. 28, 2022.
The beaches will start getting busy again with visitors and part-time residents. To help take some of the stress out of the beach experience, we worked with Lee County on what you need to know to make parking less of a a hassle at the county-operated beaches.
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What are the key messages about beach parking the county wants to get in front of visitors, locals and snowbirds?
Lee County launched a new parking payment system, Text2Park, at select Lee County Beach locations.
The new system allows patrons the convenience to pay for parking from their mobile device.
Lee County Parks & Recreation also offers an annual parking sticker at select locations. Parking stickers are valid for 12 months from the date of issue. Parking stickers may be purchased online at www.leeparks.org/register or by calling the Administrative Office at 239-533-7275.
Where are the valid parking sticker locations for beach parking in Lee County?
Valid Parking Sticker locations are:
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Are some parking lots in Lee County still closed? When will they reopen?
Sanibel Causeway Island Park and Crescent Beach Family Park are the only beach parks still closed.
When open, Sanibel Causeway is free to park. Crescent Beach does not have a parking lot.
There is not a timeline for either park to reopen yet. Check back to www.leeparks.org for updates.
The new parking system explained: How much is parking
The updated system features a convenient, cashless pay-by-plate system. This means visitors will no longer need to visit a kiosk or display a parking receipt on the dashboard of their vehicle. Directions will be displayed on each parking space sign. Parking is $2 per hour, with the ability to add additional time.
What Lee County beaches are using pay-by-plate for parking?
The beach locations implementing pay-by-plate parking are:
• Bonita Beach Park, 27954 Hickory Blvd., Bonita Springs
• Bonita Beach Access #1, 27890 Hickory Blvd., Bonita Springs
• Bonita Beach Access #10, 26082 Hickory Blvd., Bonita Springs
• Bowditch Point Park, 50 Estero Blvd., Fort Myers Beach
• Lynn Hall Memorial Beach Park, 950 Estero Blvd., Fort Myers Beach
• San Carlos Bay-Bunche Beach Preserve, 18201 John Morris Road, Fort Myers
Is paying for parking generally required everywhere?
Paid parking is required at the following beach parks in Lee County:
Alison Hagerup Beach Park-Operated by the Captiva Erosion Prevention District
Bonita Beach Park
Bonita Beach Access #1
Bonita Beach Access #10
Bowditch Point Park
Bowmans Beach Park-Operated by the City of Sanibel
Lynn Hall Memorial Beach Park
San Carlos Bay Bunche Beach Preserve
Turner Beach Park-Operated by the City of Sanibel
Which Lee County beaches have free parking?
Free parking is available at the following beach parks:
Bonita Beach Access #2-#9
Boca Grande Beach Accesses
Dog Beach Park
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Lee County florida beach parking guide answers key questions
