FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. — You might not like to pay them, but it's unavoidable on Fort Myers Beach— paying for parking and refusal can lead to a ticket.
"Parking is our second highest revenue source after property taxes," said Councilman Bill Veach. "It's an important funding source we need moving forward to keep the operations of the town going.
Councilman Veach told Fox 4's,Briana Brownleethat the proposal is Mayor Dan Allers' initiative.
"It's because the fines are so low that it doesn’t make sense for people to pay the parking fees," Councilman Veach said.
According to the town, currently, a fine for a ticket can be as low as #35 if paid within three days and $50 within four to ten days. However, the proposal will raise the fine to $70 for the first 30 days and $100 after 30 days.
“I don’t know what’s happening here, we putting in a lot of money here, and now this violation stuff," said Chinmay Khendewal.
Khendewal's family owns 239 Cafe located on Estero Boulevard. He said what concerns him the most about the parking on the beach is the lack of sports for workers and how expensive it is for workers to park.
“On average, an employee makes like 80 to 100 bucks a day, paying 20 to 30 dollars in parking. It doesn’t make any sense," Khendewal said.
“I understand the problem it has for workers. The other thing is that it encourages people to carpool maybe take a bus," Councilman Veach.
Councilman Veach also mentioned that the two lanes of traffic on the beach are also a factor in why there aren't more parking areas on the island.
