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Council reviews options for Opportunity Zone redesignation, Midtown map‑ID 18 tops staff list
Summary
Economic development staff told the council Lee County can nominate many census tracts but the governor will select only about 25% statewide for OZ 2.0; staff recommended Map ID 18 (Midtown) as Fort Myers' top priority and asked council to rank a top-five list to send to Lee County.
City Manager Marty Loing opened a staff briefing on Opportunity Zone redesignation and asked economic-development staff to develop a prioritized list for Lee County and the Horizon Foundation review.
"Opportunity zones are economically distressed communities designated by the state and certified by the US Department of the Treasury," Caitlin Danks, economic-development staff, told the council. She said a redesignation process called OZ 2.0 will begin in mid‑2026, the new zones take effect Jan. 1, 2027, and Lee County identified 38 census tracts that could be considered. Danks told the council the governor can only select roughly 25% of statewide nominations, so local prioritization matters.
Steve Weathers, the city’s economic-development director, said staff will not ask for a final council vote immediately but will return in March with a top-five recommendation for submission to the county. Staff’s top choice for Fort Myers was Map ID 18 (Midtown), which staff cited for redevelopment potential (231 industrial/commercial buildings, average effective year built in the 1980s and 25 acres of vacant commercial land). Councilmembers asked about annexation, proximity to Page Field airport and public-transportation assets, and whether ranking more than three or four tracts would dilute the city’s priorities. Several members voiced support for prioritizing 18, and staff said they will prepare a narrative and return with a March timeline for formal action.
