Lee County opens 30-day public comment on CDBG-DR amendments amid housing-vs.-infrastructure debate

The Lee County Board of County Commissioners on Wednesday authorized staff to begin a 30-day public comment period to amend the county's Community Development Block Grant–Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) action plan, a step that will allow the county to reallocate recovery funds toward critical infrastructure projects including generator installations and a shelter hardening project.

The amendment matter, brought to the board as item 36, will reallocate funds and identify specific activities for installation of generators at Tortuga Elementary School and the Lee Health Sports Complex and one shelter-hardening project, county staff said. The board voted to start the public comment period; the motion carried with no objection.

Why it matters: The proposed reallocation affects funds set aside after Hurricane Ian for housing, infrastructure and resilience projects. During the hearing, the mayor of an affected island said roughly $15 million is part of the reallocation proposal; a local civic group warned that shifting money away from housing could undermine long-term recovery.

County staff told commissioners the amendment will reallocate funds for future critical infrastructure and public-facility activities and that the public comment period will begin once documents are finalized and posted on the county website.

Mayor Mike Miller (as recorded) described island priorities that would use part of the reallocated funds, saying the money would support construction of an elevated, resilient police station and help an island water utility move from 10-ton chlorine cylinders to a sodium hypochlorite disinfection system to avoid barge-transport risks. “We hope that that delay will not expose these funds to any reallocation or loss in the meantime,” he said.

Marsha Ellis, speaking for the League of Women Voters and also as a private citizen, urged the board to prioritize housing. “We have to prioritize the housing crisis that is tearing apart this community,” Ellis said, arguing that past reallocations reduced amounts available for buyouts, elevations and other homeowner assistance.

Staff responded to questions from commissioners about why voluntary residential acquisition (repetitive-loss buyouts) drew little interest. Reasons cited included a price cap on buyouts that often falls short of market offers and the reluctance of homeowners associations to release lots into perpetual preservation, which can shift assessments to remaining owners. Staff said the standard cap referenced in the hearing is $450,000 for purchase of an existing home, with additional home-purchase assistance available in some cases up to $75,000 beyond that cap, and that any increase to the cap would require case‑by‑case appraisal justification.

Commissioners were also told unspent housing assistance dollars could be re-evaluated for repurposing later in the year. Staff said they expect to return to the board, possibly as early as August or more likely in the fall, with a specific dollar amount of Lee Cares housing assistance that was not spent and options for the board to consider on repurposing, including program parameter changes that may require HUD waivers.

County staff urged eligible residents who were damaged by Hurricane Ian or subsequent storms to complete the county’s pre-application web form so the county can vet eligibility and gather documentation while awaiting grant agreements from HUD.

Next steps: staff will finalize the amendment documents, publish them on the county web site and begin a 30-day public comment period. The board did not adopt final amendments at the meeting; it authorized the public-notice process that begins formal comment and review.