Charlotte County is gearing up for a joint meeting with Lee County to tackle the ongoing parking situation on Gasparilla Island. After arbitration failed to get anywhere, both commissions now must face each other directly.
At the last Charlotte County Commission meeting, everyone took a hard look at what happened when Chair Joe Tiseo sat down with Lee County’s Kevin Ruane. Tiseo asked Ruane to hit pause on Lee County’s new parking rules, which restrict when and where people can park around Boca Grande’s beaches. Ruane didn’t budge.
Tiseo pointed out how Charlotte County residents, who regularly visit those beaches and local businesses, are feeling the squeeze from these new restrictions. It’s complicated. Gasparilla Island straddles both counties, but Boca Grande’s beaches and downtown fall under Lee County.
Ruane pinned the blame on Charlotte County’s projected growth, throwing out the figure, 60,000 new residents as a justification for the parking crackdown. He made it clear he wasn’t there to work on solutions. At one point, when the audience groaned after Ruane claimed island residents crafted the ordinance, he asked Tiseo to calm the crowd.
Back in Charlotte County, Ruane’s attitude didn’t sit well. Some commissioners called his behavior “unprofessional.” Commissioner Chris Constance watched the whole thing and praised Tiseo for coming prepared. He recalled Ruane flatly saying he wasn’t interested in solving the problem. Constance sounded ready to move forward: “Let’s do the joint meeting. That’s our next step.”
Commissioner Stephen R. Deutsch reminded everyone that Lee County controls the decision, and Charlotte County is doing everything it legally can. “We’re trying our best. Folks need to understand our hands are tied,” he said.
Commissioner Bill Truex openly challenged Ruane’s claims about growth. “That’s the hardest place to build. You can’t just add density from outside West County—it’s extremely limited. It’s absurd to blame Charlotte for Lee County’s issue,” he said. He also called out the lack of facts and called Ruane’s conduct disappointing.
Tiseo said most ideas for solutions come from the Boca Community Access Alliance, a group that regularly meets to discuss these problems. He also noted that Lee County never used to blame Port Charlotte’s growth for anything. “I think Ruane just needed something to point to,” Tiseo said. “He even blamed our beaches being closed. None of it adds up. I’m hearing all sorts of excuses.”
Regarding where the ordinance came from, Tiseo said the story keeps changing depending on which Lee commissioner you ask. Some say it came from community workshops and studies; others, like Commissioner Cecil Pendergrass, say it originated with Neale Montgomery, a private attorney for a client on the island. An email even suggests Lee County just formatted the ordinance, rather than wrote it.
“That’s just not right,” Tiseo said. “But at least now we have someone on record about where it started.”
County staff are working to line up the joint meeting for mid-February or early March.
