It’s been one of the most talked about issues on Fort Myers Beach. For years residents and visitors have wondered if lights would ever be installed on one of the most traveled roads in Southwest, Florida.
Estero Boulevard is owned by Lee County, however it was agreed to long ago that if the town wanted lights the Fort Myers Beach Town Council would have to figure out how to pay for them. Back in February of 2024 the Town Council accepted a $7.8 million grant from the Florida Department of Emergency Management to pay for the new lights. The project faced early delays due to the contractor being unable to get parts and equipment.
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 first poles started going in the ground on the south end on Estrallita Drive. There are 178 existing light poles on Estero Boulevard now, many of which have to be turned off during turtle season. They will all go away. Once the new 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.
On Tuesday representatives from FPL gave the Town Council an update on when the installation of the lights along Estero Boulevard would be completed. They said by the end of October all the poles and lights should be installed and turned on. The FPL representative did not know if any of the lights on Estero Boulevard would be turned as portions of the projects are completed. Above 20% of the installation on Estero Boulevard is done as of today.
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