Traffic troubles on Fort Myers Beach: Cops, pedestrian bridges? How Las Vegas could help

Phil Fernandez, Naples Daily News
·3 min read

With more snowbirds arriving and new development on Fort Myers Beach, the town is seeing some major traffic issues.

Traffic from construction and repair crews are adding to the problem, especially during the day. That's because the island is still being rebuilt from Hurricane Ian's devastating blow on Sept. 28, 2022.

Some of the problems and solutions we covered in an earlier column. Readers have been asking about traffic backups and pedestrian danger.

It seems many Beach visitors near the recently opened Jimmy Buffett-inspired Margaritaville resort are not using a pedestrian overpass built to keep them safe. And throughout the island there are traffic clogs, some of them created by pedestrians as well as cars.

Meanwhile, the Sheriff's Office says its traffic enforcement unit on the Beach will continue to focus not only on speeding but pedestrian issues, which deputies say are increasing as the Beach gets more traffic with the season in full swing and all the rebuilding.

Officials are considering a range of solutions:

What about more pedestrian bridges above Estero Boulevard?

Owners crafting a Times Square redevelopment strategy are considering it.

"All initial indications is that they're open to that concept," Mayor Dan Allers said. "They're working on a plan to work with the town and the county to come up with something that would work for them. It's going to be very difficult to get all of them to agree on a plan, and then you have to get the county involved and then the town. (Eventually, expect a vision) everybody could get on board with, It's just a matter of implementing it."

Patrons peruse the Farmers Market at Times Square on Fort Myers Beach on Friday, Sept. 8, 2023. The market recently opened on FridayÕs at the location which was decimated in Hurricane Ian.
Patrons peruse the Farmers Market at Times Square on Fort Myers Beach on Friday, Sept. 8, 2023. The market recently opened on FridayÕs at the location which was decimated in Hurricane Ian.

Could Las Vegas serve as inspiration for Southwest Florida?

Town leaders are planning to meet with urban development experts.

The Las Vegas Strip, photographed from a pedestrian bridge near the Flamingo Hotel.
The Las Vegas Strip, photographed from a pedestrian bridge near the Flamingo Hotel.

"It will be interesting to see what comes out of that, but yeah, the more people we can get to go to the crosswalks (and) then get them off the road and get them to cross overhead, it will certainly help." Allers said, noting pedestrian bridge efforts that transformed Sin City. "Everybody refers to Las Vegas. If you can keep people from crossing and slowing down traffic, it's a simple concept."

Maybe not everything should stay in Vegas.

Meanwhile, Allers said more traffic lights, like the one that had been at Times Square prior to Ian, should be operational within about five months. "They will work in conjunction with each other," he said. "They will be timed to work together."

Dan Allers, the mayor of Fort Myers Beach speaks at the topping off ceremony for Margaritaville on Fort Myers Beach on Friday, Jan. 20, 2023. The event was held by DeAngelis Diamond and the resortÕs construction team. It is unknown when the resort will be finished.
Dan Allers, the mayor of Fort Myers Beach speaks at the topping off ceremony for Margaritaville on Fort Myers Beach on Friday, Jan. 20, 2023. The event was held by DeAngelis Diamond and the resortÕs construction team. It is unknown when the resort will be finished.

What about driver antics folks are seeing on Fort Myers Beach?

Beach resident Dan Blanchette, who is a member of the town public safety board, said he has seen automobilists departing Times Square make a left turn onto the Matanzas Pass Bridge out of the right turn only lane, and others have seen all types of illegal U-turns.

"I'm on the road every day, 25, 50 times a day," the mayor said, recalling a Jan. 15 incident. "I saw a guy make a U-turn on the bridge. And then he got mad at me when I yelled at him, 'You can't turn around.' He gave me the bird."

What's the outlook when it comes to FMB congestion?

"We gotta be realistic," Allers said. "We're a destination place. They're gonna come. As long as there's a Gulf of Mexico, and we have a clean Beach, people are going to come. We can do the best we can to try to alleviate it.

"A lot of this comes down to personal responsibility. If you're walking down the sidewalk, go to the crosswalk. That's what it's there for. Don't just hold up traffic ― one for your safety and two, the traffic. (It) would really benefit you as a person to take control of yourself, and you're making sure to wait for the light to change."

Based at the Naples Daily News, Columnist Phil Fernandez (pfernandez@gannett.com) grew up in Southwest Florida and has led Pulitzer Prize-winning efforts. He writes In the Know, one of USA TODAY Network's most read local news columns in the state. Support democracy. Subscribe to a newspaper.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Fort Myers Beach traffic: Could cops, pedestrian bridges ease woes?