From June 1 through September 30, 2026, Bonita Springs ran a pilot program that paid back $50 of the $60 Lee County annual beach parking pass for full-time residents and taxpayers. That pass is good at exactly two parking lots on Bonita Beach: Access #1 and Access #10, which is Little Hickory. Access #10 lost its parking on September 8. Access #1 loses its parking on November 1.
So for most of the year a summer-bought pass is valid, it does almost nothing on Bonita's own sand. This winter, the cheapest way onto Bonita Beach is a set of small free lots along Hickory Boulevard and a $3 on-demand ride from U.S. 41. The pass still has value. That value is just inland and up the coast now.
What the pass was built to do
The reimbursement idea came from District 1 Council Member Jamie Bogacz. She raised it at the March 4, 2026, City Council meeting, On July 30, the city announced that Council had authorized the pilot and posted draft information and instructions for the memorandum of understanding. In the city's announcement, she described the program like this:
"The proposed program is designed as a reimbursement-based model. As a pilot program, both the City and County can review ease of implementation and accessibility to residents, and provide recommendations for modifications to the program."
The pilot was capped at the first 300 residents. Claims were handled at the Bonita Springs Recreation Center on Pine Avenue. Applicants needed a driver's license, a current property tax bill or annual lease, a vehicle registration and a receipt for the pass. The purchase window closed September 30, three days ago.
For a resident who was reimbursed, the pass cost $10. Lee County charged $2 an hour at Access #1, Bonita Beach Park and Access #10, so the $10 pass paid for itself after five hours of parking. On a full Bonita lot, that is two decent beach mornings.
The timing is the catch. Passes run 12 months from the date of issue, so one bought this summer expires sometime between June and September 2027. Lee County expects its post-Ian beach park restoration to take about 11 months, starting September 8. That puts the reopening of the Bonita lots near the date many of these passes expire. The county has not announced firm completion dates for any of the three Bonita sites.
The Hickory Boulevard calendar
Federal reimbursement funding came through, so the county is paying for the work without local tax dollars. Here is how the three paid Bonita lots line up:
| Site | Address | Parking status | Work underway |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bonita Beach Park | 27954 Hickory Blvd. | Closed since Sept. 8, 2026 | Repairs to the county office building, restroom, boardwalks and pavilions |
| Little Hickory Island Beach Park, Access #10 | 26082 Hickory Blvd. | Closed since Sept. 8, 2026 | Restoring structures, boardwalks and pavilions; replacing the restroom building destroyed in the hurricane |
| Bonita Beach Access #1 | 27890 Hickory Blvd. | Open until Nov. 1, 2026 | Restoration work begins when the lot closes |
The sand stays open at all three sites. At Bonita Beach Park, the county sent pedestrians to Access #1 as the main way onto the beach. After November 1, Access #1 keeps a walkway open but no parking. At Little Hickory, the portable restrooms were moved outside the construction fence and closer to the road. A local roundup on September 10 reported they were in place.
According to its own Lee County page, Access #1 keeps its lot until November 1, which makes it the last paid Bonita lot open for the next few weeks. Payment runs through Premium Parking's license-plate system. You can pay by text, QR code, online or in the app. Kiosks will be added where they are installed.
The free lots in between
Eight smaller accesses sit between Access #1 and Little Hickory, and the restoration schedule leaves them alone. Lee County lists them in order down the island:
- Access #2, 27720 Hickory Blvd.
- Access #3, 27494 Hickory Blvd.
- Access #4, 27260 Hickory Blvd.
- Access #5, 27010 Hickory Blvd.
- Access #6, 26786 Hickory Blvd.
- Access #7, 26590 Hickory Blvd.
- Access #8, 26410 Hickory Blvd.
- Access #9, 26220 Hickory Blvd.
The county page says plainly that Accesses #2 through #9 are free to park. The same page says no pets, no fires and no grilling on the beach. Visit Fort Myers updated its parking guide on September 17. It calls these lots small and first-come, first-served, and lists them as the alternatives while the larger Bonita lots are closed.
These lots cost nothing, so the pass gives no advantage here. A $60 pass and an empty wallet get the same spot at Access #5. The county page for these accesses also carries a warning. It says the beaches have not been restored to pre-Ian conditions, that debris still washes up and can be quickly covered by sand, and that beach shoes should be worn at all times.
The car stays on U.S. 41
If the Hickory lots are full, LeeTran's ULTRA On Demand starts from free parking in the shopping center at 3300 Bonita Beach Road SW. The pickup point is in the lot at the northwest corner of U.S. 41 and Bonita Beach Road. The service runs daily from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and the last trip request is at 7:30 p.m. You can book in the ULTRA app or by calling 239-533-8726, option 7, and pay in the app, by phone or in cash on board. A ride costs $3 per paying passenger, so a round trip is $6. LeeTran's ULTRA page lists a promo code, BONITARIDE, for a single $1.50 trip. The page gives no expiration date, so check that it still works before counting on it.
At $2 an hour, a three-hour stay at Access #1 cost $6. A round trip on ULTRA costs the same $6 and needs no parking space on Hickory. Lee County's own Access #1 page points people to ULTRA once that lot closes. For the next several months, ULTRA is the county's main answer to parking on Bonita Beach.
When the beach day crosses a county line
The nearest paid lots with room to spare are outside Lee County's Bonita sites, and each one has its own pricing.
- Barefoot Beach Access and Barefoot Beach Preserve sit just off Bonita Beach Road at Lely Barefoot Boulevard, south of Bonita Beach Park. They are in Collier County, so the Lee pass does not apply. Without a Collier permit, parking is a flat $10 a day, paid by text or QR code under the county's mobile-pay update dated September 16. Collier residents can get a free parking permit with proof of residency. The Preserve is open year-round, 8 a.m. to sunset.
- Lovers Key State Park at 8700 Estero Blvd. charges $8 per vehicle with two to eight people, $4 for a single-occupant vehicle and $2 for walk-ins, cyclists and extra passengers. From the main lot, it is about 1,000 feet on foot to the mid-beach bridge, or half a mile to the south-beach bridge. Boat ramp improvements started in July 2026 and have partly closed the ramp. The park says parking will be limited during that work and has not posted an end date.
- Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park at 11135 Gulfshore Drive in Naples charges $6 per vehicle for up to eight people, and you pay at a kiosk. A Wiggins Pass dredging project took effect September 25 and may close parking lot four from time to time. When the lots reach capacity, the park temporarily closes to new vehicles, though pedestrians and cyclists can still enter.
The Florida State Parks annual pass costs the same $60 as the Lee County pass, or $120 for a family pass covering up to eight people. The individual pass admits only the named holder, and anyone riding along pays $2. For a solo beachgoer who would otherwise pay $4 per visit, that works out to 15 visits to Lovers Key or Delnor-Wiggins to break even. A household that arrives as a carload of up to eight people is the case the family pass was designed for.
Where the Lee County pass still earns its keep
The county pass covers more than Bonita Beach. It is also valid at Bowman's Beach, Turner Beach and San Carlos Bay–Bunche Beach Preserve. It works at boat ramps including the Imperial River Boat Ramp, and at parks and preserves including Lakes Regional Park, Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve and Manatee Park. Bowditch Point at the north end of Fort Myers Beach is also on the list, but it closed on September 8 for its own restoration.
For a Bonita household, the Imperial River ramp is the location that matters. It is inside city limits, it charges for parking, and its schedule has nothing to do with the work on Hickory Boulevard. A resident who bought the pass for beach mornings and launches a boat or kayak on the river can still use it through the winter. A resident who bought it only for Access #1 has about four weeks of use left before that lot closes.
Each pass is tied to a license plate, and every vehicle needs its own. Vehicles with a disabled veteran plate, certain mechanical modifications for disability accommodation, or a Florida Toll Exemption pass park free at these county locations without a pass. Lee County posts progress updates on all of these projects in its Parks Project Information Tool at leegov.com/parks. That is where reopening dates for Bonita Beach Park, Little Hickory and Access #1 should show up first.
Joe Janisch spends his days around the condition of coastal property, so he follows what's being rebuilt on Hickory Boulevard and when. If you own near Bonita Beach and want to know how a year of construction at the public parks fits into your home's value, Beach to Bunker Properties can run your numbers. Get Your Instant Property Valuation.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
