The purpose of the special meeting is to discuss the Lee County Florida local delegation meeting which is being held on Thursday at 7AM. One of the items on the Lee County delegation meeting agenda could change the power structure of the Lee Board of County Commissioners.
The local delegation will consider a bill to add an elected Mayor of Lee County completely changing the form of government Lee County now operates under. The elected Mayor will become a strong Mayor form of government, starting with a special election in 2026, which would follow a referendum in 2024.
Right now, the County Manager runs the County after getting direction from the Lee County Board of Commissioners. The Chairman of the board is a rotating position amongst the five sitting Commissioners. Brian Hamman recently turned the gavel over to Mike Greenwell.
All 5 Commissioners now have the same amount of power. If the bill is passed by the Florida Legislature, The County Manager and County Attorney would be appointed by the County Mayor and subject to confirmation by a 3/5 vote of the Board of County Commissioners. The County Mayor would also have the sole authority to suspend or terminate any executive branch employee with or without cause.