The Lee County Legislative Delegation (House and Senate members representing Southwest Florida) met on Thursday and agreed to move to a referendum a vote to merge the Fort Myers Beach Mosquito Control District with the Lee County Mosquito Control District.
Representative Adam Botana is behind the merger. He believes the Lee County Mosquito Control District would do a better job for the residents of the beach than the services being provided now by the Fort Myers Beach Mosquito Control District, where, Botana says, “they don’t even have a website so you can contact someone.” The top result when you type Fort Myers Beach Mosquito Control District into Google already brings up the Lee County site first. Botana has also been trying to find ways to save taxpayers he represents money by merging redundant special districts.
David Hoel is the Executive Director of The Lee County Mosquito Control District. He spoke in support of allowing voters to decide on the merger. He said Lee County is already doing all of the adult mosquito surveillance and aerial service for Fort Myers Beach. “It just makes sense to combine the two. We can step in there today and pick up these operations. We could hire that entire crew…of two people. Let’s let the people make that decision.”
Senator Kathleen Passidomo wanted to know if Fort Myers Beach taxpayers would pay more in taxes if the merger were to go through. Hoel said the Lee County Mosquito millage rate was .28 when a new fleet of helicopters was needed. But, he added, that has steadily been coming down and is now at .22. On Fort Myers Beach the millage rate for the Mosquito Control District is .11.
Hoel said Lee County spends $60,000 every year on Fort Myers Beach to spray because Fort Myers Beach does not have aircraft. “Due to our increased costs for the helicopters we asked for more money from them and we got a lot of push back. These people that can afford to live on the beach, yes, it would double until our millage rate keeps coming down year after year.”
Hoel says he’s been charging the beach that $60,000 rate to spray since 2003 but plans to terminate the contract next year due to the increased cost to Lee County taxpayers that the Fort Myers Beach Mosquito Control District is not willing to pay. He says the cost to spray Fort Myers Beach is $120,000 today and they are only willing to pay $60,000. “If they want to pay more that’s great but they need to raise their millage rate to compensate for that.”
Today the Fort Myers Beach Mosquito Control District is operating out of a trailer on property it purchased from the Woman’s Club on Sterling Avenue for $10.00. Hoel says he would move the facilities inland away from hurricanes. Fort Myers Beach Mosquito Control District Chair Joanne Semmer said Thursday there is no logic to this Bill. “Mr. Botana wants our land. It’s a land grab for his friends or special interests.”
The Botana Bill will move through the regular Bill process in Tallahassee now that it’s been approved by the local delegation. It will have to go through 3 House committee’s and then receive approval from the Florida Senate. The earliest it could go before the voters is November of 2026. If the Bill does make it onto the ballot, there would be two votes. 50% of the voters in Lee County would have to vote to approve and 50% of the voters on Fort Myers beach would have to approve.
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The first step to dissolve the town and move all back to Lee county. There’s no need for a wasteful town beuarcracy since they don’t even do the main reason it was created…(17 stories???)
If Lee County takes over our mosquito district, there is no guarantee that the services would get any better. The main thing that is apparent to me is the amount of general revenue the Beach generates for the County. Neighborhoods like mine have gone short term rental, and the great majority of condo units are either short term, investment long term, or hotel style rentals, not to mention the motels. Who benefits from mosquito control? If the beach is strictly a ‘destination’ now instead of a retirement resort/bedroom community as it was earlier, the Town and the County should regulate and service it for what it is. The people benefiting from the service should pay the bill. Bear in mind the ‘bed tax’ and general revenue from the Beach. If there’s a problem with the money, take it from a different pocket. Leave us free-holders alone.