Advisory board presses city procurement on minority‑business outreach, suggests workshop

Board members devoted an extended discussion to whether the city should pursue a locally tailored minority‑business engagement or preference program in addition to the state MBE program the city currently follows.

Several members noted prior local efforts and an ordinance referenced in the discussion ("31‑26") and argued the city could make procurement more friendly to Fort Myers businesses. "We make a recommendation that the city of Fort Myers, since we had a lot of work with the ordinance... put them together and come up with one ordinance," one member said, urging a concise recommendation.

Members proposed a practical next step: invite the procurement office (Denise Finn) to a future meeting or workshop and ask for a short briefing on what the city currently requires, how the state MBE program is applied locally, and whether a locally administered program or local preference points would be feasible. The board also discussed inviting the city council liaison who sits on the MPO so the committee can coordinate political support for elevating project priorities.

The group recommended drafting two or three actionable items for a March or April workshop (for example: procurement briefing, a proposal for local goals or ordinance consolidation, and an outreach/training plan). Staff and individual board members agreed to contact procurement and several council members to assess interest and report back. The board did not adopt an ordinance at the meeting; it directed staff to pursue procurement engagement and return with options.