Fort Myers won’t be moving forward with a possible Ferris wheel in the city’s downtown.
“Ultimately, we did not see overwhelming support for a wheel in Fort Myers, so the city council has decided not to pursue this opportunity,” Fort Myers economic development director Steve Weathers wrote in an emailed statement.
Weathers had presented the concept in recent months at several city workshops, economic development advisory boards and historic preservation committee meetings.
It was still in the discussion phase when the city decided not to move forward.
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What was the Ferris wheel?
The idea came from outgoing Councilman Johnny Streets, according to Weathers.
The city wanted to create a 210-foot, 213-foot Ferris wheel that would tower over downtown Fort Myers and provide scenic views.
The proposed Ferris wheel would have a lifespan of at least 30 years and could withstand a Category 5 hurricane, with winds of 200 miles per hour.
The locations where the site was searched were the land adjacent to Hall of 50 States, 2254 Edwards Drive, and the land adjacent to the Caloosa Sound Amphitheater, 2101 Edwards Drive.
Centennial Park and the city’s Palms Park were mentioned as possible locations, but were ultimately dropped due to the lack of people walking there.
Fort Myers Beach was mentioned as a consideration.
Private company
Weathers said 11 manufacturers in the world specialize in Ferris wheels and ferris wheels, and the city would have chosen between two of them: Netherlands-based Dutch Wheels and Chance Entertainment of the US.
It would have been privately owned and managed by a third party, with the city signing a 30-year lease.
Fort Myers receives nearly 4.5 million visitors who spend more than $4 billion in the area annually, according to a presentation used to describe the project.
No appetite from the public
In an emailed statement, the city attributed the reason for scrapping the Ferris wheel idea to the lack of overwhelming support.
They cited hundreds of comments from an article with more than 900 responses to the proposed plan, reinforcing a mixed reaction from the public.
Virginia Harper, a member of the nonprofit Lee Trust for Historic Preservation, said at a meeting last week that “the board and members are opposed to placing a Ferris wheel or flywheel on historic properties or adjacent to historic properties downtown.”
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Fort Myers topples Ferris wheels due to lack of overwhelming support
