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 a nonprofit/church operating on the island).

The vote followed extensive public comment from business owners, residents and boat/fishing guides who said the original panel did not represent the island’s full mix of year‑round residents, seasonal business owners and working employees. Captain Melanie Gannon, a fishing guide who spoke during public comment, said, “The proposed parking panel does not represent the Boca Grande community. This panel must be amended with applications submitted from every facet of our community.” Other speakers from Boca Grande’s businesses and civic groups urged an application process rather than purely appointed seats.

Commissioner David (motion maker) proposed the nomination and advertising changes and asked that advertising be placed in both the Boca Beacon and the News‑Press; he also proposed that at‑large seats should include representation devoted to churches and the Chamber of Commerce. After discussion about district‑based appointments versus stakeholder‑based membership, the board settled on the advertised approach and a requirement that nominees show a stake in Boca Grande on the Lee County side (for example: business owner/operator, property owner/lessee, church or nonprofit member or an employee/volunteer of those entities).

County staff and the county attorney confirmed the administrative‑code language will be adjusted to reflect the broadened eligibility and the geographic tie. The board also directed that nominees be vetted with the usual background and financial‑disclosure processes and that appointment recommendations return to the board for confirmation.

The board and public repeatedly framed the panel as intended to help revise and improve the ordinance after complaints during and after last season’s rollout, with some commissioners saying the panel should be “living and breathing” and able to propose technical changes. Several commissioners urged a larger panel to capture more voices; one commissioner said three appointees per commissioner (15 total) would likely produce natural diversity in backgrounds.

The motion passed unanimously. The board’s action does not itself change the parking ordinance; it creates the advisory panel with the described membership and nomination procedures. Staff was asked to return finalized administrative‑code language for the board to approve before appointments are finalized.

Ending: The panel will begin recruitment following staff’s revision of the administrative code; nominees will be brought back to the board for confirmation once vetting is complete.