Lee County announced Friday morning that several Lee County beach parks will open ahead of schedule, including Lynn Hall Park on Fort Myers Beach. There will be no charge for beach parking until further notice.
Other Lee County beach parks that will open include: San Carlos Bay-Bunche Beach Preserve, Bonita Beach Park and Bonita Beach Accesses 1-10. These locations previously had been slated to reopen later this spring.
“We are thrilled to announce the reopening of our beach park facilities after the devastation of Hurricane Ian. It is heartening to hear from our residents and visitors how eager they are to once again enjoy these amenities, and we are grateful for their patience during the rebuilding process,” said Brian Hamman, Chairman of the Lee Board of County Commissioners. “I would also like to commend the county staff for their hard work and dedication in getting these facilities back up and running. These efforts have helped to restore a sense of normalcy and community pride to our area.”
Residents and visitors are advised:
- Beaches and beach parks have not been restored to pre-Hurricane Ian conditions.
- Some amenities such as restroom facilities, piers and walkovers have not been repaired or replaced at this time.
- Debris continues to wash onshore and quickly may be obscured by sand.
- Beach shoes should be worn at all times.
- Debris can still be found in near-shore areas, such as dunes or mangrove-lined coastlines.
- Check for any beach or water advisories from the Florida Department of Health-Lee County at lee.floridahealth.gov. FDOH-Lee on Feb. 20 issued a red tide alert for portions of the coast in Lee County.
- Closure signs are posted where necessary, and www.leeparks.org has status updates.