Should tolls be put in on Fort Myers Beach bridges?

Fort Myers Beach is a favorite stay-cation spot for people in Southwest Florida and a destination for many across the county.

“We love the vibes, the environment,” said Jay Marchand, on vacation from South Dakota.

His kids added: “I love that everything’s so calm, and you can basically do whatever you want. The stores are very nice.”

Another plus is that there are no tolls to get on the island, and people think it should stay that way.

“If we’re here a week, we at least come here five times,” said Shelley Lillis, who lives 30 minutes away from Fort Myers Beach. “I feel like it should be free.”

But those daily trips to Fort Myers Beach could get a bit more expensive.

In a meeting Monday, town council member Karen Woodson said she has spoken with the town manager and commissioners about imposing tolls on the Matanzas and Big Carlos Pass bridges.

“If we’re looking at impactful alternatives to our traffic and what we could do about it,” said Woodson during the meeting. “I think this is one that we should really look at seriously.”

Woodson thinks tolls could help stop heavy cut-through traffic, but locals WINK News spoke to disagree.

“If anybody comes here, they know how the traffic backs up,” Lillis said. “So that’s not a quick way to get to where you’re going. So I don’t see people using it for that reason.”

Cape Coral resident Jessica Heleniak, who was on a stay-cation, said it plainly, “I don’t think it’s a smart idea.”

It’s unclear how much the toll would cost or what the money collected would go toward.

“I’m not 100% against it, as long as we know where the money’s gonna go,” said Kim Gabriel, a Fort Myers resident. “And if it’s going to go back into the community and be to beautify the community, I would support it.”

Gabriel’s only request?

“Keep it cheap!” she laughed.

The tolls will be discussed at the town council’s August 5 meeting. The town plans to look at data on how this has worked in other areas.