Tolls for Fort Myers Beach? Why the town's proposal fell through

The possibility of introducing tolls on the Matanzas Pass Bridge and the new Big Carlos Bridge has been a topic in Fort Myers Beach since May.

During a council meeting on Wednesday, Councilwoman Karen Woodson shared the latest updates on the toll proposal.

"I've probably gotten more emails on this topic than anything we have done since I've been in office," Woodson said.

Local business owners also weighed in on the proposed tolls. Eddie Parisi, General Manager of Matanzas on the Bay, expressed concerns, "I'm going to be honest, I'm not too happy with it. The island is finally rebuilding itself, people are coming together, working together, to put it back, and to do something like that might jeopardize everything everyone's working hard for."

Town officials mentioned that the primary goal of the tolls was to reduce traffic. However, they determined that there is no legal way to implement the tolls.

Councilwoman Woodson explained, "It's not possible. The north bridge is not a new bridge, so the toll comes into new developments and new bridges."

Additionally, since tolls were not included in the initial plans for the new Big Carlos Bridge, they cannot currently be implemented there either.

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While there won’t be any tolls on the Matanzas Pass Bridge in the near future, construction to expand lanes has begun. The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) advises motorists to expect intermittent lane closures during this time.