FMB businesses changing schedules because of traffic

FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla.- Business owners on Fort Myers Beach say their livelihood is on the line because of an ongoing construction project creating a traffic nightmare.

Now, owners are being asked to consider changing their hours of operation in order to avoid at least some of the chaos.

Some businesses may consider changing the days and hours they are open, but, many are questioning why the road work can’t be completed at night.

“Now, I’m going to have Wednesday off. What am I going to do on a Wednesday?”

This is the situation outside of Beach Pet Grooming on Estero Boulevard that is forcing the owner to change how her business operates.

“They are calling up it’s just taking too long to get down here,” said Beach Pet Grooming Owner, Nancy Gutherie.

Nancy Gutherie will now close on Wednesday,  be open on Sunday, and will be in starting at 6:30 a.m. instead of 7:30. This is what her planner looks like for this Friday, just two clients and she usually has about 8.

My early morning appointments from 6:30 to 7:30 are booked through next week. Nobody wants to come after that because traffic gets backed up.

Down the road, the Fort Myers Beach Chamber of Commerce is doing the same. Instead of being open from 9 to 5, they are working 8 to 4.

“We do that so our employees can get to and from work easier and they don’t add to the congestion in the morning,” said Chamber President Bud Nocera.

The congestion is so bad, many people on the beach want to know why the work is not being done at night?

The spokeswoman for the project says that can’t happen for a number of reasons including safety of the workers, and night time noise. The other reason — turtle season! Workers would have to bring in extra bright lights and that’s against the law.

“This is our reality on Fort Myers Beach. It’s going to take some getting used too,” said Nocera.

The spokeswoman says construction crews are still making tweaks to the traffic pattern in hopes of alleviating some of the congestion.

“Be patient with us and know this to shall pass and when it does its going to be absolutely amazing!”
The chamber will hold a meeting Friday morning for people and business owners to voice their concerns. The meeting is at 9 a.m. at Town Hall.