On Monday, January 5, 2026, the leaders of Charlotte and Lee counties tried to sort out a growing fight over new parking rules in Boca Grande. It didn’t go well. Both sides barely found any common ground.
Charlotte Commission Chairman Joe Tiseo and Lee County Chair Kevin Ruane met at the Punta Gorda Library, facing a crowd of about 50 people. This was their first official step in trying to resolve the dispute, a meeting Charlotte had pushed to make happen.
Here’s what’s going on: Lee County approved new rules that limit non-residents to just three hours of parking in certain areas of Boca Grande. The kicker? While Boca sits in Lee County, Charlotte residents have flocked there for years, it’s their beach, too. Geographically, Boca is cut off from the rest of Lee by Gasparilla Sound, so most visitors actually have to drive through Charlotte County just to get there.
Boca Grande businesses are concerned these changes will hurt business. Tiseo thinks Lee County based its decision on stories, not facts. “What I am hearing is discussion that is more subjective than objective,” he said.
Ruane pushed back, saying Lee did its homework. He insisted the county studied the parking situation, held meetings, and listened to plenty of feedback before making any decisions.
Tiseo asked Lee to put the new rules on hold so both counties could look at the problem together.
Ruane wasn’t having it. He blamed Charlotte for approving too many new homes near Boca, which he said made parking chaos inevitable. “Parking has gotten much worse,” Ruane said. “People are creating a public safety issue. They’re blocking driveways. They’re urinating in people’s pools. All kinds of problems within the zone.” That’s why, he said, non-resident parking is off-limits in Boca’s residential neighborhoods now.
Both chairs said they’ll bring the debate back to their boards for a vote. Charlotte’s not ruling out a lawsuit if nothing changes. The fight over Boca Grande parking isn’t ending anytime soon.
