Parking prices going up in downtown Fort Myers

Reporter: Jolena Esperto Writer: Rachel Murphy
Published: Updated:
downtown parking
Parking meters in front of cars in downtown Fort Myers. Credit: WINK News

Downtown Fort Myers receives an expensive upgrade on the streets: new parking meters with even newer prices.

Parking meters are going up in price due to the city’s need for street space and money. The new prices are expected to begin some time in December, 2023.

Walker Parking Consultants, a firm that specializes in parking design, said in a 2021 study that downtown Fort Myers is short 1,371 parking spaces when it’s at its busiest.

After at least seven years of debating, the Fort Myers City Council approved a plan in October to increase parking by forcing those spaces to turn over faster.

“If you’re going to be here for an extended period of time, take advantage of the off street parking, the garages, Main Street garage, city palms garage. Keep those spaces on the street rotating,” said Mayor Kevin Anderson, “That’s good for business downtown. And what’s good for business downtown is good for the whole city.”

Parking is going up a $1.25 or a $1.50 depending on the season. The bigger change is that the city will now enforce parking Monday through Saturday instead of through Friday. They’ll also require people to pay until 9:00 p.m. instead of 5:00 p.m.

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