For years the Fort Myers Beach government has claimed Key Estero Shops owner Carmine Naccarato was operating an illegal parking lot. Naccarato has ignored code violation fines to the point the town started the foreclosure process on his property. Last week Naccarato wrote a big check to cover his fines. Then he went right back to operating illegally.
Spaces in the Key Estero parking lot are supposed to be for shoppers who come to the businesses in that plaza. In 2020 the town issued Naccarato a notice of violation and ordered he correct the violation by getting a special use permit. If Naccarato would have corrected the violation back then he would have paid a $75.00 administrative fee.
Naccarato did not correct the violation, fines began to accumulate and the town put a lien on his property. By the time the violation went before the town’s Special Magistrate in September 2020, Naccarato was facing $34,000 in fines. Naccarato continued to rent parking spaces, and according to the town, racked up nearly $220,000 in fines.
Last week, according to Town Attorney Nancy Stuperich, Naccarato came to town hall and cut the town a check for $188,000. That, according to Stuperich , is good enough to stop the foreclosure case the town was pursuing against Naccarato for ignoring the code violations for years. We’re not sure why the town accepted a $188,000 check and not the $220,000 the town reported he owed earlier this month.
However, just because he wrote a check does not mean everything is in order. Naccarato still needs to apply for a special exception to operate the parking lot. That means he has to come into compliance with the town’s rules for operating a parking lot, something he has never done. Stuperich says she’s having a conference call with Naccarato’s attorney today to explain to him what needs to be done to get his client into compliance.
In the meantime, Naccarato continues to sell parking spaces in his lot. The picture in this story is from yesterday. The lot was nearly full by 1PM. Someone who observed Naccarato’s lot on Friday said they counted him sell 160 spaces. At a rate of $20 per spot, that’s $3,200 for the day. Operations Manager Frankie Kropacek said the town has already started the code violation process again on Nacarrato.
Vice Mayor Jim Atterholt said Naccarato looks at paying his fines as the cost of doing business. Atterholt is more frustrated with the fact that rebuilding the Key Estero building to get more retail on the island is not moving along faster. Perhaps generating all that cash is more lucrative than operating a retail plaza.
Town Council member Scott Safford said Naccarato plays by his own rules and believes the other legitimate parking lots close by need to be protected.
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