Fort Myers Boat Show back for 48th year despite pandemic

Writer: Drew Hill
Published: Updated:
Fort Myers Boat Show
Fort Myers Boat Show

Even coronavirus couldn’t stop the Fort Myers Boat Show. Not only is this a popular event that many viewers love, but it stimulates Southwest Florida’s economy.

Usually, for the Fort Myers Boat Show, beautiful boats line the Historic Downtown River District. But this year, as many things have, it will look a little bit different.

Boat Show organizer Kyle Good says he’s proud that people were willing to weather the storm. “We’ve had a few wrenches in the road but I’m very proud of our dealers with the storm and everything we’ve had,” Good said.

The organizer says everything is under control safety-wise and vendor wise. “at our entrance as we have stickers on the ground,” said Good. “We keep everyone six feet apart we have all of our social distancing signs, we have about 30 different hand sanitizer stations spread throughout the event.”

Mark Collet and his wife say they appreciate all of the precautions that are being taken. “We did expect people to be wearing masks and the hand sanitizer,” said Collet. “It’s been nice it gives you some peace of mind.”

But Mark is happy to be out enjoying the event, if it means wearing a mask. “It feels normal it feels like we’re starting to get back to normal which is good,” Collet said.

This year, they’re saying, boat inventory isn’t normal. Dennis Pellucci is a dealer agent that says production is struggling to keep up with demand this year. “We saw a surge in our sales,” he said.

This is happening because more people want to get out on the water. “You’ll find many of the manufacturers around here just don’t have the inventory,” said Pellucci.

The boat is set to take place on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Boats, jet-skis, and paddleboards will all be shown off.

Copyright ©2024 Fort Myers Broadcasting. All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent.