Roar Offshore kicks off later this week amid construction on Fort Myers Beach – Wink News

FORT MYERS BEACH

An event and parade kick off this week on Fort Myers Beach. It is expected to bring in huge crowds and much-wanted business.

Roar Offshore begins Thursday yet theres already quite a bit of construction on Fort Myers Beach.

Not only will these events bring in crowds and weekend fun, but they will bring in money for business owners. However, with the aforementioned construction, traffic and parking may be challenging.

The Town of Fort Myers Beach is already urging people to plan ahead.

Roar Offshore returns to Fort Myers Beach after being canceled last year and those attending are excited.

Samantha is a server at Mango Ritas on Fort Myers Beach. It was fun two years ago so, I think it will be exciting for everyone, she said.

Krysta Konderwich works at Sunset Beach Tropical Grille. The locals are excited to come watch and people from out of town have said you know in the past how great its been and everything so Im pretty excited to see it myself, Konderwich said.

Businesses on Fort Myers Beach said they are excited to see boats speeding down our coastline once again. Organizers are expecting to see close to 70,000 spectators this weekend.

You can see everything right here and then once theyre done everyones going to come off the beach and hopefully well just be packed, said Samantha.

Melissa Schneider is the Marketing Director for the Lani Kai. Just like 2019, were sure business will be much busier on the island, Schneider said.

With the cancellation of the event in 2020, many of the people who planned to come had to change their plans at the last minute. That also made many attendees more excited for this year.We had a lot of people like push their date to this upcoming weekend. So we booked our [rooms] very quickly, said Schneider.

For those returning to Roar Offshore for the first time in two years, the beach will look quite different. This is because large-scale construction projects, such as Margaritaville, have begun. Another reason is that traffic light installation on Estero poses a new challenge for traffic. And, of course, parking is a factor.

Parking and traffic will be busier than usual because just because of the event, said Schneider.

With Margaritaville going in and for workers, its hard for us to find anything, Samantha said about the parking situation.

A spokesperson to the Town of Fort Myers Beach says that construction does not happen on the weekends.

As for parking options, beach access parking is encouraged and 35 parking spots are available at City Hall on the weekends.

The Town of Fort Myers Beach also recommends that if you do plan on coming, text PARKING to 239-362-3224 (FMBEACH). This will give you the percentage of parking availability in town.

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Roar Offshore kicks off later this week amid construction on Fort Myers Beach - Wink News