Downtown Fort Myers lost its boat ramp around 2017 to the Luminary Hotel development, along with other developments occurring in the area. City council member Fred Burson attempted to make a deal with Lee County at the time, which ended up failing. Now, Burson is pursuing putting in a public boat ramp at the Riverside Community Center.  

“It would give the city a boat ramp within city limits, it would provide a service to the residents, and it would help jumpstart the development on that side of town on the river,” he said. “That’s probably some of the most beautiful riverfront we have over there. We just need something to get started.” 

The center sits on the river in council member Teresa Watkins Brown’s Ward 1, providing the equipment suitable for restrooms, along with available land next door the city can acquire for parking. 

Council member Johnny Streets echoed Burson’s sentiments of a boat ramp jumpstarting interest in the area, which has shown to be few and far between in East Fort Myers.  

There was previously a boat ramp at the center, which visitors can still see remnants of.  

“When you’ve got riverside and you’ve got the water frontage, you have all of the ingredients to develop this area that will be pleasing to people coming in from Palm Beach Boulevard,” Streets said. “I think it will say to the people that even though you may have lost something on this side, there’s something that will be state of the art on the other side.”

Installation of a boat ramp may also open doors to another marina or a restaurant, which Streets said is much needed on that side of town, as not many options are directly available to that part of the community. 

Other council members, including Darla Bonk and Liston Bochette, supported the idea, with Bonk saying the addition of a new boat ramp is the most asked question she gets from her constituents in Ward 6 outside of their district’s issues, showing the demand for a new boat ramp from the community as a whole.  

The city council and city manager met with the state, which offered to move some of its facilities and help obtain the permits to drive the project forward, Bochette said.  

“The ducks are in the line,” Bochette said. “There’s property that could be acquired by the city, which is to be used for parking, and that’s income stream for the city, so it’s an investment. This is a ready-to-go project.” 

City manager and staff were directed by the council to prepare a presentation and research options, with city manager Marty Lawing presenting two preliminary options.  

One potential option is putting the ramp on the property the city already owns, with the downside of overlaying the project on existing playground equipment and picnic shelters, which can be relocated if the site is chosen. The other option is putting the ramp on the property right adjacent to the center, which the city does not own, requiring acquisition of the property.  

Council member Watkins Brown said access to the riverfront is important for residents in her district. 

“One of the beautiful things about Fort Myers and the East Fort Myers area is the beautiful access and scenery of the Caloosahatchee River,” she said. “The character of that community is beautiful and needs to be maintained. If the community supports the idea and we can make the land issues work, I feel this boat ramp would be an asset to them.”