"This is well overdue," Joe Burgess of Bonita Springs told WBBH in September, as crews finally started rebuilding the restrooms and boardwalks that Hurricane Ian wrecked almost four years ago.
The repairs are real and paid for. The catch is parking. Both Lee County beach parks in Bonita closed their lots on Tuesday, Sept. 8, and a third lot is closing this fall. WBBH reports that once it closes, only 39 of the more than 200 Lee County parking spaces on Bonita Beach will be left. The lots that stay open are the plainest ones on the beach: eight numbered accesses along Hickory Boulevard that charge nothing and never needed a pass.
What Closed, and What the $60 Pass Covers Now
Lee County's digital annual beach parking pass costs $60. In Bonita it covers two places, Access No. 1 and Access No. 10. It doesn't cover Accesses 2 through 9, because those are free to begin with. Here's where those two lots stand:
- Little Hickory Island Beach Park, also called Access No. 10, at 26082 Hickory Blvd. The lot closed Sept. 8 and is fenced off while crews restore the boardwalks and pavilions and replace the restroom the storm destroyed. The portable restrooms were moved outside the fence, closer to the road, so beachgoers can still use them.
- Bonita Beach Park. This lot also closed Sept. 8. Crews are repairing the county office building, the restroom, the boardwalks and the pavilions.
- Access No. 1, at 27890 Hickory Blvd. This is the $2-an-hour lot the county named as the main walk-in route while Bonita Beach Park is closed. Its closing date has been reported three ways. A Sept. 2 county update said it would stay open until November. A Sept. 9 WBBH report said it would close "next month." The county's own parking page now marks it "Closed Starting Sept. 8, 2026 for Construction." Check the Lee County parking page the morning you go.
Put together, every lot the $60 pass covers in Bonita is closed now or will be by November. The City of Bonita Springs had offered full-time residents and city taxpayers a $50 refund on that pass if they bought it between June 1 and Sept. 30, 2026, for up to 300 people. That window ends today. If you bought the pass this summer mainly for Bonita Beach, expect to get little use out of it here before the work is done.
The Eight Free Accesses Doing the Heavy Lifting
The county's rule for Accesses 2 through 9 is simple. Parking is free, and the lots are open from dawn to dusk. No kiosk, no pass, no app. Lee County's access page shows no closure notice for any of them. Here they are by address:
- Access No. 2, 27720 Hickory Blvd.
- Access No. 3, 27494 Hickory Blvd.
- Access No. 4, 27260 Hickory Blvd.
- Access No. 5, 27010 Hickory Blvd.
- Access No. 6, 26786 Hickory Blvd.
- Access No. 7, 26590 Hickory Blvd.
- Access No. 8, 26410 Hickory Blvd.
- Access No. 9, 26220 Hickory Blvd.
They really are just ways onto the beach. The county lists beach access as the only amenity. Pets aren't allowed, and fires and grilling on the sand are prohibited. The county doesn't publish space counts for each access. WBBH's figure of 39 total spaces is the best public number for how much Lee County parking is left along this stretch. That's why arriving early on a winter weekend matters more this year than last.
Two notes from the county apply at every access. Lee County still says the beaches haven't been restored to their pre-Ian condition, that debris keeps washing up and can quickly get buried in sand, and that beach shoes should be worn at all times. If you fish from shore, you need a saltwater fishing license. Florida's resident annual saltwater shoreline license is free.
Your Options This Season, Side by Side
Once the free accesses fill up, the nearest backup is across the county line. WBBH named Collier County's Barefoot Beach Preserve as the nearby parking alternative.
| Option | Cost | Hours | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accesses 2 to 9, Hickory Blvd. | Free | Dawn to dusk | No pets, no grilling, no listed restrooms |
| Access No. 1, 27890 Hickory Blvd. | $2 per hour, or the $60 county pass | Check before going | Closing date reported differently by county and news sources |
| Barefoot Beach Preserve, Collier County | $10 without a Collier resident permit | 8 a.m. to sunset, year-round | Credit card only, no dogs, rentals daily 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. |
| LeeTran ULTRA On Demand | $3 per ride | 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily | Connects central Bonita Springs to Bonita Beach Park |
Collier's resident beach permit is free only for people who qualify as Collier County residents. If you live on the Lee side, plan on the $10 daily fee at Barefoot Beach Preserve. Paying doesn't require an app. Collier's updated instructions say to text the code on the sign or scan its QR code, then enter your plate and payment on the page that opens. The preserve has wildlife-viewing stations and daily rentals of loungers, umbrellas and cabanas from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The gates open at 8 a.m., later than the dawn opening on Hickory Boulevard, which makes a difference if you like to walk at sunrise.
Leaving the Car Behind
The county's beach-goers guide points Bonita residents to LeeTran's ULTRA On Demand service. It connects the center of Bonita Springs with Bonita Beach Park and still picks up and drops off anywhere in the ULTRA zone. According to LeeTran's Bonita Springs brochure, it runs every day from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., takes trip requests until 7:30 p.m. and costs $3 a ride. You can pay in the app, by phone or in cash when you board. WBBH also identified a free park-and-ride pickup spot in the shopping-center lot at 3300 Bonita Beach Road SW, near U.S. 41.
For a household of two, a round trip costs $12, which is more than the $10 Barefoot fee. For one person going out and back, it's $6, and you never have to circle Hickory Boulevard looking for a spot. The math changes with how many people are in the car.
Why the Work Started Now, After Four Years
The restrooms at Bonita Beach Park and Access 10 had been closed since the storm. A county spokesperson told WBBH that the county waited for Federal Emergency Management Agency money so it wouldn't have to use local tax dollars. FEMA had already put more than $570,000 toward designing the repairs in 2024. When the county asked for construction bids in 2025, only one contractor responded, and FEMA requires at least two bids before it will consider funding. Four contractors bid in June, FEMA approved its share in August, and state emergency funds and tourist tax dollars covered the rest of the $7 million project.
That explains the timing. The construction season didn't line up with the beach calendar. Work could start only once the funding came through, and the money arrived in late summer, just ahead of the busy winter months. Lee County's own guide tells beachgoers to "plan ahead for parking after Labor Day 2026 and into season."
When the Lots Come Back
The county says most of these restoration projects should take about 11 months. It hasn't posted a finish date for the Bonita sites. Counting 11 months from the Sept. 8 start puts the work at roughly early August 2027, if that estimate holds. That's after this winter and after spring break. When the work is done, Bonita Beach Park and Little Hickory Island Beach Park should have rebuilt boardwalks and pavilions plus permanent restrooms, which neither park has had since Ian.
The same restoration program has closed lots on Fort Myers Beach too. Bowditch Point Regional Park closed its parking on Sept. 8, and Lynn Hall Memorial Park isn't expected to reopen until late April or early May 2027. Heading north to a different Lee County beach this season won't get you away from the construction.
Until the fencing comes down, the free lots at Accesses 2 through 9 and the $10 lot at Barefoot Beach Preserve are the most dependable ways onto the sand along this stretch of coast.
I've spent more than 30 years living and walking this coastline, and questions about how Bonita Beach works this season come up all the time. If you'd like to talk through any of it, from which access fits your morning routine to what the reopened parks may look like next summer, William Ross is happy to help. Let's Connect.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
