March 23, 2022 / Issue #2022-12

Don't miss ANY of the Town's events and activities in the next few days and weeks

Scroll down to read the details about 

• Cruiser's Appreciation Day THIS FRIDAY
• The first EVER movie night on the field at Bay Oaks THIS SATURDAY
• Ribbon-cutting for the completion of the long-term project reFresh Estero Boulevard NEXT WEEK
• Nominations due for Town Council's annual awards for citizens NEXT WEEK
• Live auction and strolling supper to benefit Mound House on APRIL 8
• Sign ups for summer camp at Mound House OPEN NOW

13th Annual Cruiser's Appreciation Day
under the Matanzas Pass Bridge

Friday, March 25
1 to 5 p.m.

The Town's Anchorage Advisory Committee invites the public and all patrons of the Matanzas Pass Mooring Field to celebrate the
13^th Annual Cruiser’s Appreciation Day.

The location will be in the Town parking lot under the Matanzas Pass Bridge, informally known as the Sky Bridge, between Nervous Nellies and Matanzas on the Bay.
 
Admission to this event is FREE for everyone and will feature barbeque, drinks, door prizes, giveaways and friendly island hospitality. This year’s menu will be served by Brooke's Nugget Wagon. Food, beer, soft drinks, and water will be available for purchase at reasonable prices.
 
Crossing the Sky Bridge to Fort Myers Beach offers a bird’s eye view of the Town’s Matanzas Pass Mooring Field. This event is an opportunity to meet and mingle with Mooring Field patrons and learn about their vessels, extensive travels and the Mooring Field. Boaters renting a mooring ball on the day of the event will receive a free lunch.
 
The Matanzas Pass Mooring Field provides 70 mooring balls available for rental year-round at $19/day, $107/week or $323/month including tax. The rental fee includes use of the shower, laundry facilities and vessel pump-out service. A public dinghy dock is available for public use to tie up dinghies of 10’ or less (no overnight tie-ups). The Town’s Mooring Field is very popular and highly acclaimed by boaters throughout Florida.
 
The Administrative Office for the Mooring Field is located at 450 Old San Carlos Boulevard, Suite 109, and is open daily from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.  The phone number is 239-224-4118. The Marine Channel is 16.  

Experience the first outdoor movie on the field at Bay Oaks Recreational Campus 

 The staff and board of Bay Oaks Recreational Campus are excited to present the facility’s first ever outdoor movie on the large ball field.

“The Goonies” will be shown on Saturday, March 26, at 8 p.m.

Admission is FREE and the public is invited. Guests are invited to bring chairs or blankets for seating on the grass. Alcohol is not permitted. Friends of Bay Oaks, a 501c3 nonprofit organization, will be offering concessions. Proceeds from the sale of refreshments will support future programming at Bay Oaks.

Bay Oaks Recreational Campus encompasses 15 acres and is operated by the Town of Fort Myers Beach. It houses a community pool, two baseball/softball fields, a disc golf course, three outdoor pickleball courts, four tennis courts, a basketball court, a playground, and a gym with a fitness center.

Also provided are summer youth programs, after-school programs, and adult and senior programs and classes. The campus has a variety of open natural space for the community and visitors to enjoy.

Plans are underway to significantly redevelop Bay Oaks with construction expected to start this year and be completed in 2023. Keep up on the progress on the Town's webpage Projects Around Town

This month at Mound House

March 24 through April 2, 2022

March 2022  program calendar

March 2022  Outdoor Nature & Education Events
April 2022  Outdoor Nature & Education Events

Caloosa Carvers at The Mound House host free public carving demonstrations on the first and third Tuesday of each month through tourism season from 9 a.m. to Noon. 

The next Caloosa Carvers Mound House program is on Tuesday, 
April 5 following by last sessions on April 19.

In addition to their free public demonstrations, these talented woodcarvers provide the Mound House with hands-on educational tools for school groups and the general public.

www.moundhouse.org

Ribbon-cutting to celebrate the completion of the Estero Boulevard Improvement Project is March 30 at 9 a.m.

Lee County is inviting the public to a ribbon-cutting for the completion of the Estero Boulevard improvement project at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, March 30, at Charley’s Boat House Grill parking lot, 6241 Estero Boulevard.

The ceremony will feature brief remarks by the Lee County Commissioners, Town Mayor Ray Murphy, and other officials.

The $80 million project was started in 2015 to improve all six miles of Estero Boulevard on Fort Myers Beach. Improvements include:

• Sidewalks on both sides of Estero Boulevard for the entire length
• Center turn lanes along much of the corridor
• Trolley pull-offs and stops
• On-road bike lanes from Red Coconut RV Park to the south end of the island
• Safety improvements at crosswalks
• Improved drainage

Attendees who live or work on Fort Myers Beach are encouraged to bicycle or walk to the ribbon-cutting. Attendees can also use LeeTran, which has departures from the Bowditch area hourly beginning at 6:32 a.m. Service times may be impacted by traffic. 

To attend the ceremony virtually visit:  www.facebook.com/leecountyflbocc
to watch on Facebook live.  

For more information about the project and the event, visit:  https://refreshfmbeach.com/.

For more information about Lee County Department of Transportation, visit:  www.leegov.com/dot. 

It’s time to recognize outstanding citizens, groups, organizations and businesses
 Nominations for annual awards set by Town Council are due by March 31 in the following categories:

Learn about the Citizens of Distinction awards

Nomination form for Citizens of Distinction

Nomination form for Stewardship Award

 Friends of the Mound House live auction, strolling supper fundraiser on April 8

Friends of the Mound House, a nonprofit organization that supports educational programs and events at Mound House, invites the public to its upcoming live auction and strolling supper fundraiser on Friday, April 8.

 “Artful Intersection 3.0” will be from 7 to 9 p.m. outside on the grounds of Mound House at 451 Connecticut Street in Fort Myers Beach. Tickets are $75 a person and can be purchased online.

The live auction will include unique items such as material carved out of the Mound House Strangler Fig from the Caloosa Carvers, original artwork, and more.

Mound House is the oldest standing structure on Fort Myers Beach dating back to the 1920s. It is a property of the Town of Fort Myers Beach with the mission to preserve, interpret, and share 2,000 years of cultural and environmental history of Fort Myers Beach and Southwest Florida.

Mound House sits atop a 2,000 year old Calusa Indian shell mound and opened in 2015 as a museum and cultural experience after undergoing restoration. The grounds include an observation pier over Estero Bay, a kayak launch, and historic gardens with a variety of native plants, birds, trees, butterflies, and other wildlife.

Tours of the House are conducted Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. A shop with unique gift items is also open during museum hours.

Sign up now  for summer camp at Mound House 

Two sessions will be held during the weeks of July 11 and July 18. From guided tours and beach walks to kayak eco-tours and a unique archaeological experience, explore the history of the 2,000 year old Calusa Indian Shell Mound and the surrounding natural environment while having great summer fun.

Bay Oaks Social Seniors Upcoming Events 

FMB Community Pool will be closed on Wednesday, March 30

The pool will be closed due to a training course that staff need to receive their Certified Pool Operator Certificates.

This is a three-day training that will also be conducted on Tuesday, March 29, and Thursday, March 31, which are  days that the pool is regularly closed. 

About the Fort Myers Beach Community Pool

Environmental education booth schedule

Representatives from the Marine Resources Task Force (MRTF) are hosting a pop-up educational booth at various locations around Town

Only people-powered devices can be ridden on the sidewalks and beach

At this week’s Town Council meeting, after a second reading and public hearing, amendments were adopted to the bike safety ordinance (Traffic and Vehicles – Chapter 28.)

In general, these amendments mean that only wheeled transportation vehicles/devices that are people-powered, not electric powered, are permitted to be ridden on the sidewalks or beach.

The amendments officially prohibit “motorized micro mobility devices” such as scooters, skateboards, hoverboards and other one-wheeled devices. The Town’s bike ordinance already included electric bikes that are not in manual mode from being used on the sidewalks or beaches.

These amendments do not apply to electric wheelchairs. They are permitted on the beach and sidewalk.

In a meeting in February of this year, Town Council adopted another amendment to the bike safety ordinance that requires working lights and bells to be on all bicycles. For the public's convenience, bells and lights are available for purchase at Town Hall.

Violations of these new regulations are enforceable by a $50 fine per occurrence. 

Bicycle bells & lights for purchase at Town Hall

Looking for a spot to park your bicycle in the Downtown District?

A new bike rack has been installed next to the Matanzas Pass Bridge in the Downtown District that can hold up to 55 bikes.

Are you a prospective or current property owner with questions about the Town's building, planning and/or zoning codes? 

Spruced up Beach Access at Seaview

BEFORE

AFTER

Keep up on the schedule of Town Council and advisory committee meetings

View the meeting calendar on the Town's website

Upcoming meetings

The Town of Fort Myers Beach has partnered with DemandStar which is open and accessible to all businesses and gives instant access to RFPs, RFQs, and ITBs 

Read more about bids and proposals