Boca Grande residents urge delay, stakeholder meeting on proposed parking restrictions; county schedules initial discussion for next meeting

Residents and business leaders from Boca Grande told the Lee County Board of County Commissioners that they were not given adequate notice or stakeholder input on a proposed ordinance to restrict parking in parts of the island downtown.

Speakers including Gary Cross of the Boca Grande Area Chamber of Commerce, Larry Hannah (who described a community disaster fund), Jay Whipple, and representatives of St. Andrew's Episcopal and Lighthouse United Methodist Church said the drafting process has not included local stakeholders and that the community is facing temporary parking reductions tied to storm repairs and construction. They urged the board to hold a formal stakeholder meeting on the island and to delay moving the ordinance into public hearing.

Attorney Michael Witt, representing the churches, asked the board to "slow this down" and requested a stakeholder meeting coordinated by staff and the county attorney before the ordinance advances. Multiple speakers said the timing was poor because island parking is already constrained after recent storms and reconstruction.

County staff told the board that the parking-item will return to the board on the 18th as a request to set a public hearing; commissioners discussed holding a staff-led stakeholder meeting at the Boca Grande community center so residents could review proposed changes before any formal ordinance hearing.

The board did not adopt any ordinance at this meeting; instead, members directed staff to schedule further outreach and to place the matter on the upcoming agenda for consideration of a public hearing date.