Fort Myers Beach council opens discussion on annexation of San Carlos Island, directs staff to coordinate with county and FEMA
Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts
Subscribe
Summary
Councilors discussed possible annexation or focused corridor annexation of San Carlos Island on June 5; the item was framed as exploratory, not action, and council directed staff to work with Lee County and FEMA to clarify boundaries and response roles.
Councilor John King raised an exploratory discussion on Thursday, June 5 about the possibility of annexing San Carlos Island into the Town of Fort Myers Beach.
The matter matters because annexation would change who provides local services and how residents are represented; councilors framed the June 5 discussion as preliminary and emphasized coordination with Lee County rather than immediate action.
Councilor King said he raised the issue because some San Carlos Island residents “have felt they're not getting what they need from being unincorporated from Lee County” and he thought annexation “would give those residents local representation.” He told colleagues he was not asking the town to spend money on a feasibility study at this time and said he was “very happy with having brought this up” so the town could explore options.
Council members asked about possible boundaries, whether an annexation would mirror ZIP code 33931 or the fire district, and whether the town should pursue a small, targeted corridor annexation (for example the boulevard at the island entrance) versus a larger move. Councilor Woodson suggested drawing clear criteria and boundaries before pursuing any steps. Several members said annexation should be initiated by residents who want to join the town rather than by the council.
Mayor Allers and others flagged recurring problems with outside agencies and disaster responders misidentifying town boundaries after Hurricane Ian. The mayor said he would discuss boundary‑clarification with the county manager and mentioned plans to raise the matter with FEMA administrators so emergency responders “understand when they're doing their analysis that it's they're analyzing the right area.”
The discussion produced no motion or vote. The consensus direction to staff was to open lines of communication with Lee County and FEMA to improve clarity about jurisdictional boundaries and to report back; Mayor Allers said he would raise the topic with the county manager at an upcoming meeting. Councilors agreed to receive more information if residents or property owners brought a formal annexation petition to the town.
Methodology and sourcing: article summarizes councilor remarks and the council’s directions recorded in the June 5 Fort Myers Beach Town Council transcript.