Council discusses Del Prado medians: county core service vs. city takeover, staff recommends pushing county and documenting comparisons

City Arborist Omar Leon briefed the Committee of the Whole on Del Prado Boulevard median landscaping and maintenance. Leon said Lee County maintains several roadways inside Cape Coral, including Del Prado, and that county service is a core, lower level of service that excludes routine mulching, comprehensive refurbishment and irrigation maintenance (the county provides only emergency irrigation repairs).

Leon said the county estimates annual maintenance for Del Prado at roughly $200,000 and listed the county—s core tasks and frequencies: 24 mowing/edging cycles per year, monthly spot weed control, site-line pruning and one-time-per-year canopy/palm pruning, fertilization twice yearly and pest control as needed. Excluded services include routine mulching, soil repairs and comprehensive landscape refurbishments Leon said the city previously maintained Del Prado medians after taking them over in the early 2000s but later returned the medians to the county in 2016 "due to financial constraints." Leon said restoring the medians to a higher standard would require additional funding and, in some locations, regrading median profiles to avoid mulch washing into storm drains; he estimated regrading at roughly $150,000 to $300,000 per mile depending on design.

Leon presented three primary options: 1) maintain the status quo with the county—s core service at no city cost; 2) fund supplemental mulching and other enhancements (staff estimated $60,000 to $100,000 per year to supplement county mowing/weeding); or 3) negotiate with the county to transfer maintenance back to the city, add irrigation and raise service levels, and seek a stipend from the county to offset their current maintenance payment. Leon said the city has discussed some options with the county but the county currently has no budget for additional work and any changes would require county commission direction.

Councilmembers asked staff to push county leadership, provide current photos and a comparison of how other county roadways are maintained, and pursue a joint meeting with Lee County commissioners. Several members recommended each councilmember contact county commissioners directly while staff continues to schedule a formal city-county meeting to discuss jurisdictional maintenance priorities.

Ending: Staff said they will provide updated photos of current conditions, continue to pursue a meeting with county leadership and prepare a comparative analysis of county-maintained roadways to present to commissioners for additional funding or action.