COLUMNS: BART DESTEFANO

Restrictions on beach parking will affect livelihoods

BY BART DESTEFANO,
SOUTH BEACH BAR & GRILL

I am writing in response to the proposed restricted parking measures in Boca Grande. While I understand the desire for order and safety, these proposals raise deeper concerns that deserve honest discussion.

Let’s be clear: the beaches are public. They do not belong exclusively to homeowners or any one group of people. Yet increasingly, it seems as though parking restrictions are being used as a tool to create what are essentially private beaches – spaces accessible only to those who live nearby.

It has come to my attention that one of the proponents of the strict parking restrictions approached a retailer in town asking them to sign an agreement in support of their proposals. He reportedly threatened that person with a boycott if they did not agree. This is not the Boca Grande I came to 18 years ago when all elements of the community got together and were friends. I remember when I arrived at South Beach I was impressed at how friendly everyone was with one another. We had local fishermen, workers, local business people, first responders and residents stopping to chat on their way to their tables. That was the community I fell in love with.

From my point of view, this is a manufactured crisis. In the wake of three major hurricanes over the last two years, many of our public parking lots were closed due to storm damage. That naturally limited access. Now that those lots are finally open again, instead of restoring access, the push is to restrict it even more. Why?

At the recent parking meeting at the Methodist Church, a county staff member stated that we have lost 478 parking spaces due to illegal landscaping. That is a staggering number. Rather than accept this loss, why aren’t we focusing on restoring those spaces and adding more to help relieve the pressure? That would be a real solution, not just another layer of restriction. The state can add more beach parking by expanding the small parking lot north of us and bring it down the border near our parking lot to create a great number of spaces for the public to enjoy the best beach in the area.

As someone born in Greenwich, Connecticut, I’ve seen this play out before. Newer residents arrive and begin pushing for limits that, intentionally or not, exclude others. What starts as “parking regulation” too often becomes a way to keep so-called “undesirable” people off the island. Yet these people are tax paying residents of Charlotte and Lee Counties whose tax dollars pay to maintain these beaches. Let the commissioners who vote on this proposal tell their constituents that they own the beaches in the state of Florida but they are not good enough to come to Boca Grande and use them.

We see more of the people that come off of the beaches in this community than anyone else. We see almost everyone that goes to the beach from our restaurant and some of them are our customers. Most of the beach goers are people that live over the bridge close to the Island. They are our neighbors. Some of the people are former residents of Boca Grande that have built houses in gated communities.

I represent a beachside restaurant that has served both residents and visitors since the early 1960s. Businesses like ours are part of the community’s heritage, and we rely on accessible parking to survive. Restricting access doesn’t just affect visitors – it affects livelihoods. It will also affect the residents of the Island if the businesses can’t survive. We take pride in staying open seven days a week all year long, we like to tell our customers that we are always here for you. If they restrict our parking during the season, we probably won’t be able to stay open all year long anymore because we rely on that additional revenue.

Boca Grande has always had a spirit of openness and hospitality.

Let’s not lose that now.

South Beach Bar & Grille is at 760 Gulf Blvd, Boca Grande, FL 33921. Call (941) 964 – 0765.