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Lee County seeks temporary ambulance site on Pine Island after lease talks with fire district stall
Summary
County staff said they are negotiating a lease for a property near Pine Island Center to provide dedicated space for a county ambulance after talks with the local fire district over in-station space and lease terms failed to reach a mutual agreement.
Lee County public safety officials told commissioners on May 20 that negotiations with the local fire district over living and work space for county EMS crews at Pine Island’s Station 1 have not produced mutually agreeable terms, and the county is pursuing a nearby leased property to ensure continued emergency coverage.
"Because we're not able to get to a point where there are mutually agreeable terms and conditions, our concern is that we may find ourselves in a position where we don't have a place for the ambulance on Pine Island," Benjamin Avis, Public Safety, told the board.
Chief Benjamin Mickleit of the Pine Island fire district had earlier told commissioners he was "very upset" that his district learned only through negotiations that Lee County EMS might move out of Station 1. County staff said the lease amount for the nearby property is similar to what the fire district proposed for exclusive use of the ambulance bay, and that the county would obtain a dedicated facility for an EMT and paramedic crew.
Staff said the leased property — described as a single-family home near Pine Island Center, close to Stringfellow and Pine Island Road — would require modest upgrades such as minor electrical work and radio installations at an estimated cost of "somewhere in the neighborhood of $2,000 or $3,000." County Lands attorney Robert Clements told the board the proposed lease includes a 60-day termination clause so the county could end the lease if negotiations with the fire district later succeed.
Public Safety staff said the county intends the nearby lease as an interim step and that a fixed capital station at Pine Island Center could be proposed as a future capital improvement project in two to three years. "Our intention would be to lease a location near Pine Island Center for a period of time and within the next 2 to 3 years have a capital improvement project to have a fixed station, at Pine Island Center," Avis said.
Commissioners said they preferred continued cooperation with the fire districts and asked staff to pursue mutually agreeable terms where possible; staff reiterated the county's interest in maintaining co-location when feasible but emphasized the need for dedicated, suitable space at comparable cost when negotiations fail.
Ending: The board approved the consent agenda (which included authority to proceed), and staff will move forward with the lease while continuing discussions with the fire district; the lease includes a 60-day termination clause to allow return to a shared station if terms are later agreed.
