Fifth Street beach access remains closed
Editor’s Note: This electronic story was updated after deadline to include comments and an an update from Lee County.
A wheelchair-accessible access point at 5th Street, damaged during recent hurricanes, remains closed. The access point is the only beach ramp immediate to downtown, and the only wheelchair accessible beach access point immediately next to handicapped parking.
While there are multiple beach access points on island, the Fifth Street access provided 40 feet of slope to get down to the beach without steps. It is also the largest parking area for beach access near to downtown, with approximately 80 parking spaces, many of them reserved for the handicapped.
We reached out to the Lee County. Betsy Clayton, communications director for Lee County, said in an email that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is planning a beach project in that vicinity due to the erosion there.
“In an effort to be fiscally responsible with taxpayer dollars, the restoration of the beach facilities will follow that beach project,” Clayton said.
The ramp, while popular, has not had an easy time with recent storms.
Storms in 2017 swept away the bottom of an earlier ramp, just after it had been installed. The ADA accessible ramp re-opened in 2019. In September of 2023, parks closed the Fifth Street beach access. At the time, they cited the fact that Hurricane Idalia had eroded the beach and access ramp. Beach access points north and south of Fifth Street remained open, and the beach itself is open to the public, albeit with access from elsewhere.
At the time, Lee County said it was working with state and federal partners to address beach erosion issues. Lee County not only closed the access point, but erected a temporary fence at the location, to prevent anyone from crossing over the seawall.
