Queen of Weed truck on Fort Myers Beach sparks discussion

Reporter: Ashley French Writer: Elyssa Morataya
Published: Updated:

Businesses are back up and running again on Fort Myers Beach, as they work to recover from Hurricane Ian.

One joint you’ll find operating on Fort Myers Beach is causing quite the commotion with members of the community, and not because of what it sells.

The Queen of Weed is a new business that was recently granted a permit to operate on the beach.

The truck has caused conversations among locals and has sparked an even bigger conversation with the Local Planning Agency.

“After the hurricane, the town council generously decided in their emergency ordinance to create an ability for existing beach businesses to operate in temporary situations,” said one member of the Local Planning Agency. “It also allowed folks to live in a trailer or a mobile home on their property.”

Back in June of last year, the Fort Myers Beach town council approved an ordinance to help businesses that were hit by Hurricane Ian to recover by operating from a truck or trailer on the island.

LPA members said the Queen of Weed truck doesn’t fit what the ordinance was intended for.

“It’s just somebody who’s come to lease space, and that is not at all what was in that provision,” said one LPA member, “so I’m saying this in a public meeting to encourage the town council and the town staff to revisit that.”

While others on Fort Myers Beach may feel the same, not everyone agrees.

“Whether they were here before or they moved somewhere, any business is good, especially down here. This last year, really nothing has been going on until the start of this year. You see more people and businesses opening up.”

LPA members who spoke out at the meeting said they are not against the Queen of Weed bus or any business paying rent for space on Times Square, but they want to discuss the issue more since this was not the ordinance’s original intent.

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