Fort Myers Beach leaders draft vision and mission, ask staff to turn them into measurable goals

Fort Myers Beach council members, the town manager and outside consultants used a leadership planning forum to convert months of community outreach into draft strategic language and a work plan for turning that language into measurable goals. Participants agreed on a draft vision, sketched a mission, named core values and asked staff to return with defined goals for public review in January.

The group converged on a draft vision that officials entered into the meeting’s shared software: "a reemerging coastal community with a small‑town eclectic vibe where community members and visitors can safely live, grow, experience island life," Angela, a USF consultant, recited as the wording the group had refined. The phrasing reflected recurring priorities raised in earlier community focus groups: protecting the environment, maintaining a small‑town character and supporting local businesses.

On the mission, the facilitators proposed language to describe the town government’s purpose; Tina Fisher, a facilitator on the consulting team, read a near‑final draft to the group: "To serve and protect our coastal community by fostering safety, sustainability, and economic vitality through transparent, responsive communication and collaborative servant leadership." Council members asked staff to consider adding explicit references to families and basic services in subsequent drafts and to embed measurable elements so the town manager can track performance.

Throughout the meeting councilors emphasized that the strategic plan must be actionable, not ceremonial. Council member Jim said previous plans had gone unused and urged that the new document include metrics staff can report on regularly, including permit turnaround times and other service dashboards. Several members repeated that values such as transparency, responsiveness, consistency and servant leadership should be defined so they can be turned into measurable benchmarks.

Facilitators presented seven emerging strategic themes developed from phase‑one outreach and asked councilors whether the buckets were right. The council generally approved the themes as a framework but tasked Will, the town manager, Tracy (deputy town manager) and consultants to clarify which programs and initiatives fall under each theme—so goals drafted later will be specific and implementable. Members also highlighted priorities they want advanced within the five‑year horizon, including restoring essential goods and services on the island (medical/dental access, basic retail and services) to improve resident quality of life and reduce off‑island travel.

There were no motions or formal votes recorded during the session. The consulting team and staff will synthesize today’s input, add definitions and measurable objectives, and present a refined draft for council consideration and public review in January.

The meeting closed after the consultant shared visual summaries of the conversation and the facilitator confirmed next steps for staff and the consulting team.