Snowbirds are back to boost SWFL economy

Get ready for busy roads, lines at restaurants and packed beaches. Many people who spend their winters in Southwest Florida are headed down a little earlier than usual. Snowbirds are here to boost the local economy.

“I’ve actually seen traffic beginning to be Fort Myers Beach traffic,”

More cars on the road and more people on Fort Myers Beach, these are signs snowbirds like Larry Arbramoff from Massachusetts are coming back early.

“I was really really worried about the red tide situation,” Arbramoff said.

Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce was worried too. Now that water conditions seem to be improving, they are personally reaching out to snowbirds to ask them to come back early and support our local business.

“Of course, there has been a lot of people in our industry that have been hurting on our beach,” Castaways employee Kathy Hollywood said.

Hollywood is happy to see some regulars from up north fill seats at her bar.

Because for a while, when red tide was scaring visitors off, some businesses feared they wouldn’t make a comeback.

“God, for the food bank on our beach that has been helping them, which is a great thing because we survived, and we’re still here,” Hollywood said.

Snowbirds are happy to be back too.

“The warm weather, the restaurants, the happy hour,” Al Leclair said.