We know you’ve heard this over and over again, for years and years and years. But if you can believe Florida Power & Light some lights on Estero Boulevard may be flipped on sometime after Hurricane season with the entire project being done by September of 2025.
What’s happening now is what Mayor Dan Allers has been saying for months; materials are being ordered and stored at 2 staging areas on the beach. FPL has also been meeting with Lee County to get all the required permits (remember, Lee County owns Estero Boulevard).
The tentative starting date for the project is July 15th. Between Estero Boulevard and the side streets there will be 730 new light poles installed, 405 on Estero, 295 on side streets and 30 downtown. The lights will be turtle-friendly amber lights and the space between each pole will be about 100 feet. The 20-22 foot high poles are going in first and the lights will be installed after Hurricane season. The entire project is expected to take 15 months.
The first poles will go in the ground on Estrallita Drive on the very south end and FPL will work north from there.
178 existing poles on Estero Boulevard now, many of which had to be turned off during turtle season, will all go away.
Back in February the Fort Myers Beach Town Council accepted a $7.8 million grant from the Florida Division of Emergency Management to pay for the new lights.
Once the lights are installed the town will have a 10-year maintenance contract with FPL. After that the town owns the system and is responsible for its upkeep. The town does not own the lighting system in place now.
Here are 3 schedule maps regarding how the lighting install is planned to go…
Will they actually safely illuminate the streets or be the equivalent of a lighted match? (Being turtle friendly)
Asking for a friend. 😉