Small merchants. Who is it that Just Feels Right?
A kind and anonymous X.com user reached out to the Boca Beacon Twitter feed this week, suggesting a PGA-like shuttle for Boca Grande to help preserve the independent merchants on the island after parking restrictions. Ads could be sold, he said. He did not even live nearby.
“I’m a small-business owner and the story reminded me of some of the things I’ve had to deal with.”
In recent weeks, merchants report that Lee County economic development staff have also been in contact with island businesses. It would be useful for officials from the Lee County Visitor and Convention Bureau to also reach out to businesses to help them move forward.
The current visitor campaign for Lee County is “Just Feels Right.” It was, “designed around the idea that people want to find moments when they can let go of everyday stressors and prioritize their well-being, with the underlying premise being that when you reclaim your sense of being present, you can follow what feels right.”
What feels right these days? What are our businesses’ stressors?
Well, to start, something doesn’t feel quite right. It is deathly quiet here, even for an August rainy week. The restrictions are still months away, yet the effect has already started. One business reported a first-ever “no sale” day. Two eateries that planned to stay open in September will now be closed. Readers can “check” Ballyhoo for what’s open or closed during the summer, as they do this time of year. A worrisome sign? Barrier Island Parks Society put up an innocuous flier for its fall beach cleanup, and the responses were critical. “Why should I clean up a beach I cannot easily visit? Will I get a ticket?” The new parking ordinance is not yet in force.
Last spring, the Boca Grande Chamber surveyed locals off-island about shopping habits. Most were regulars at county beach accesses and shopped locally. It is a myth that beachgoers don’t shop and eat in town. They make rounds of jewelry, souvenirs, gifts or something to wear to a restaurant. They bring friends and family to show off this wonderful town. Many are beach walkers who come early in the morning, like a “mall walker” brigade in the suburbs up north.
Of course there will be three hours of free parking downtown, and enforcement will end at 5 p.m. But retail marketing requires winning consumers on their terms. To use downtown redevelopment language, the one “anchor tenant” is scaled down. Actually, Boca Grande has three “anchor tenants:” The Beach, The Inn and Gasparilla Island State Park. Remove one, and the island loses momentum.
Many small businesses on the island spoke out against restrictions. Boca Grande Chamber of Commerce executive director Gary Cross attended multiple Lee Commission meetings on behalf of the business community, advocating a longstanding statement against any net loss of parking. That message has been lost with some off-island.
Just Feels Right? Tourism sustains a non-income tax Florida, but if beachgoers are not wanted, why are rental guests who stay here less than six months paying a five percent bed tax to support tourism promotion? Retail is critical too, as Florida, without an income tax, depends on the six percent sales tax. The state brought in $45.7 billion in 2024 from retail and restaurants.
The island rallied to the cause of these small shops, and actually donated hundreds of thousands to get them reopened after 2022 and 2024 hurricanes.
Florida Commerce Secretary Alex Kelly also came here just after Hurricane Milton on behalf of Gov. Ron DeSantis. He told the Beacon on Oct. 18, 2024:
“People love that local restaurant, that local boutique hotel, that local rental shop that rents out surf, fishing, or sailing equipment. People love those local stores. They love that feel of coming into a community that’s really charming, that has a number of small businesses.
“I think when people come on vacation to places like Boca Grande or other communities like this, they want to feel what’s truly unique and special about that place. Their businesses seem like they’re part of the special story of this community. It’s critical to support those businesses that help tell that special story. That’s true in so many coastal communities throughout Florida, but each one is unique.”
Let’s make this feel right.
Garland Pollard is editor of the Boca Beacon. Email your letters to editor@bocabeacon.com.
