Lee County OKs expanded Boca Grande parking panel after public push for broader representation

At a Lee County Board of County Commissioners meeting, commissioners approved changes to the composition and selection process for a Boca Grande parking advisory panel aimed at revising a new parking ordinance and giving more local stakeholders a role in future changes.

Supporters and opponents on and off the island urged the board to broaden who can serve. The motion that passed expanded the panel from seven to 15 members, with each of the five commissioners nominating three candidates and with the county advertising openings in local papers; the panel will require a supermajority vote for formal recommendations to the board. The board also confirmed that nominees must have a definable tie to Boca Grande in Lee County (owner/operator of a business on the island, owner or lessee of residential property on the island, or an employee/volunteer of…