Votes at a glance: Lee County commissioners approve landfill contract, housing rehab grant agreements, utilities project and several other items

At its June 17 meeting the Lee County Board of County Commissioners approved several contracts, funding agreements and ordinance changes in a series of largely unanimous votes.

Most votes were recorded as unanimous and routine; the board also directed staff to draft and return an ordinance cleanup on residential boathouse permitting and scheduled a public hearing for a community-backed Boca Grande parking amendment for Aug. 5. Key outcomes are listed below.

Votes at a glance

- Clerk’s office remodel: The board approved a budget and renovation plan for the clerk’s office after staff value-engineering work. County staff reported a cost reduction of about 19.8 percent—“almost $600,000” in savings—after design changes. The motion to approve carried unanimously.

- CDBG-DR affordable housing rehabilitation funding agreements: The board authorized the chair to execute funding and loan documents for four Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) rehabilitation projects sponsored by the City of Fort Myers Housing Authority or its nonprofit affiliate. Staff said early authorization would speed closings; the board approved the item unanimously.

- Lee–Hendry Landfill operating contract: The board awarded a competitively procured 10-year contract to Waste Management of Florida for operation of the Lee Hendry Landfill. Rebecca Rodriguez, interim solid waste director, told commissioners the not-to-exceed amount for first-year services is $8,200,000. The motion carried unanimously.

- Moss Marina booster pump station (Moss Marina on Fort Myers Beach): The board awarded professional services for design and relocation of the aged booster pump station using CDBG-DR funds; staff said the station will be relocated inland and become a Lee County Utilities asset once completed. Commissioners asked about site selection to reduce future flood risk; staff said the new location will be sited inland, with electrical equipment elevated for resilience. The vote was unanimous.

- Land development code amendments (final hearing): The board held a properly advertised second and final hearing and adopted a round of land development code amendments that permit several uses (including food truck parks, microbreweries and public safety facilities) in specific zones. The item passed unanimously.

- Lee County local provider participation fund (rate setting and assessment): The board finalized rate-setting for the local provider participation fund established by Ordinance 25-07 and imposed a non‑ad valorem special assessment on seven private hospitals to generate funds that will be matched by federal Medicaid dollars and distributed to participating hospitals. County staff confirmed the assessment cannot be passed to patients as a surcharge; the board approved the rate-setting unanimously.

- Boathouse permitting cleanup: Commissioners directed staff to review and return a proposed ordinance to eliminate inefficiencies and reduce redundancies in permitting boathouses and related residential dock accessory structures; staff requested that the board allow the proposal to follow standard committee and public-hearing processes. The direction passed unanimously.

- Boca Grande items: The board agreed to advertise a community-backed Boca Grande parking amendment for public hearing and comment on Aug. 5. Commissioners and multiple island stakeholders said the draft reflects community compromise; staff and the county attorney noted ministerial formatting changes may be needed before formal advertising. Motion carried unanimously.

- Boca Grande deputy sheriff’s house disaster funding: Commissioners authorized staff to work with local partners and to front funds expected to be reimbursed by insurance and FEMA to accelerate rebuilding of a deputy sheriff’s residence on Boca Grande. The county described the overall project as roughly a $650,000 effort; commissioners approved the approach unanimously.

- TDC reserves for Challenger Field: The Tourist Development Council reserves were approved for a $2,000,000 contribution toward a Challenger adaptive baseball field at Hachi Park; the board approved the allocation unanimously.

Other routine consent and port-authority consent items were approved as listed on the agenda; multiple items were continued or reordered to accommodate quorum and scheduling needs.

Ending: Most items passed without recorded opposition. Several items (boathouse permitting review and the Boca Grande parking draft) will return for advertised hearings or committee review before the board takes final ordinance-level action.