Bonita Springs town hall highlights city–county coordination on roads, beaches and disaster response

Jim Fitzpatrick, a member of the Bonita Springs City Council representing District 6, opened a town hall forum in Bonita Springs and introduced Lee County Commissioner David Mullica and Lee County Manager Dave Harner to discuss county services and city–county coordination.

The presenters told residents that many day-to-day services in Bonita Springs are provided or managed by Lee County, including maintenance and improvement of roads along Bonita Beach Road, beach renourishment, emergency management and recovery, waste management, public libraries, law enforcement and land-use oversight for unincorporated areas.

“ If you don't pay attention to politics, things will happen to you and not for you,” Commissioner David Mullica said during his remarks, stressing the importance of civic engagement. Mullica described himself as a new county commissioner and said he and county staff are available to help residents connect with the right offices on permitting and other constituent concerns.

County Manager Dave Harner outlined the county’s working relationship with municipalities and neighboring Collier County, saying, “ Our partnership goes beyond just Lee County and Bonita.” Harner said the county coordinates routinely with cities on parks and recreation, roads, natural resources, water quality, flood mitigation and beach renourishment and that the same regional coordination intensifies during disasters.

Speakers emphasized practical coordination and resource-sharing rather than a split of authority. Fitzpatrick reminded attendees that Bonita Springs incorporated just over 25 years ago and retained some local responsibilities while relying on Lee County for other services. He described District 6 geographically as running along Bonita Beach Road east for about seven miles and extending north roughly to Dewey Road.

Harner described the county’s scale of operations, saying he oversees a $2,600,000,000 budget and more than 2,800 employees. Mullica said the county has 29 departments plus the airport; both officials asked residents to use follow-up meetings and one-on-one interactions with staff for detailed or individual issues.

Organizers said staff from multiple county departments and city offices would be available after the presentations for one-on-one questions and that future forums are planned, including an event with Bonita Bay and a meeting on April 22 (date and details provided during the forum). Fitzpatrick said question forms were being collected and that the city clerk would bundle them by topic for the Q&A portion.

Attendees were given opportunities to speak with staff from natural resources, parks, and the Department of Transportation after the presentation. The forum closed with officials encouraging residents to follow up with their City Council member for city-specific matters and with county staff for county-managed services.