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City lists four priority state appropriation requests totaling roughly $21 million
Summary
Fort Myers staff proposed four projects for state legislative appropriation requests: a $5M deep injection well, $5M for midtown infrastructure, $6M for an Emergency Operations Center and $5M for STARS complex expansion; applications are due mid-February.
Jessica McGowy reviewed the city's candidate projects for this year's state legislative appropriation process and asked council for feedback ahead of the delegation meeting in January. She said applications are due in mid-February and summarized four prioritized requests: a deep injection well ($5,000,000) to comply with DEP surface discharge requirements; Midtown infrastructure improvements ($5,000,000) targeted to capital construction; an Emergency Operations Center request ($6,000,000) to provide dedicated dorms and support for response operations; and a $5,000,000 ask for STARS complex expansion.
Council members asked whether the dollar figures represent total project costs (staff said they are request amounts, not necessarily full project budgets), how the city chooses request amounts (comparative analysis and lobbyist input), and contingency plans if an appropriation is reduced or denied. McGowy explained that staff and lobbyists try to set initial asks slightly higher so the delegation has room to negotiate, and that other funding sources (federal grants, CIP funds) would be blended if the full request is not awarded.
What happens next: staff will finalize the list and present it to the legislative delegation in January, and applications will be filed by mid-February. Council discussion will continue on prioritization and on ensuring the requests align with the city's capital program.
