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Lee Tran tram service recommended for continued TDT support as ridership rebounds
Summary
Lee Tran requested $237,540 to continue Fort Myers Beach tram service; staff and TDC recommended moving the funding forward after Tom Mixon reported ridership recovery (just over 100,000 riders this season) and potential route extensions tied to future grants.
Lee Tran asked the Tourist Development Council on April 23 to recommend $237,540 in tourist‑development funding to continue the Fort Myers Beach tram next season and to position the system for a longer route if future grants allow.
Tom Mixon, Lee Tran, said ridership is recovering from post‑hurricane lows: "we were just over 100,000 riders this season," he said, and described a roughly 36% increase in ridership year‑over‑year as the service rebuilt. Mixon and staff said the current federal grant that subsidized service will soon lapse, and that pending grant applications could fund route extensions in a subsequent season.
TDC members supported advancing the tram request, citing traffic mitigation and tourist access. Mixon said longer routes could connect more accommodations and activity nodes on the south end of the beach but that vehicle and scheduling constraints will determine whether a fourth tram or adjusted routing will be needed.
The TDC recommended the tram request be included in the Beach & Shoreline package submitted to the full TDC in May and noted Lee Tran will pursue additional grant funding for service expansion.
