If it was’nt for the voters on Fort Myers Beach, both the Fort Myers Beach Fire Department and Mosquito Control Board would be gone. As it turns out, Representative Adam Botana’s plan to dissolve both went down to defeat on the ballot November 3rd.
Voters on Fort Myers Beach overwhelmingly voted down a fire department merger with Iona-McGregor. 75% voted against. Ioan-McGregor voters, perhaps seeing the possibility of getting their hands on new equipment and millions of dollars, voted in favor. 57% of Iona residents voted yes.
An $80,000 study, split by both communities, showed that services would not be improved and very little money, if any, would be saved. Fort Myers Beach Fire Chief Scott Wirth spent months educating the community on the facts about the merger, including a lost ambulance and layoffs.
The Mosquito Control District vote to merge with Lee County was much closer, due in large part to a horrendous mosquito season blamed on a fight between the beach and Lee County. The beach district held out on paying $20,000 to have Lee County spray a marsh in the back bay despite having $800,000 in reserves. Mosquito Control District board member Steve Johnson said the delay was due to having to work out details in the inter-local agreement with the county. The beach district doesn’t have the equipment to spray the marsh, which has to be done by helicopter. Lee County has a fleet of planes and helicopters to attack the mosquitos.
Lee County residents voted overwhelmingly to take over Fort Myers Beach, 77% to 23%. Fort Myers Beach residents barely saved the district by a vote of 54% to 46%. The vote was closer than that early on when the polls closed by once the final precinct reported the district was saved.
The Mosquito Control District has plans to build a multi-million new building on Sterling Avenue next year after losing the building they had in Hurricane Ian.
Botana got agreement from the Southwest Florida state delegation to put the two mergers on the ballot with the stipulation that the communities involved both approve the mergers in votes separately.