On September 28, 2022, Hurricane Ian destroyed the Fort Myers Beach Town Hall building. The building sat untouched for 9 months while FEMA dragged its inspection process feet. While they played the waiting game, town staff had to figure out where to set up operations.
In recent months, town employees have been housed in trailers on Fort Myers Beach Fire Control District owned property. The agreement with the Fire District expires in November.
Those trailers were initially provided to the town through the Florida Department of Emergency Management. Back in June, the town was required to take over lease payments from the state to the tune of $44,258.90 per month.
On Monday the Town Council will approve a contract to lease 4 new trailers from BOXX Modular. The four-year lease agreement with BOXX is for $29,088.80 per month.
The town is negotiating with the Fire District to swap properties they own on Estero Boulevard. The town would get the Old Tops property where the Fire District had originally planned to build a new fire house. The Fire District would get the property that was home to the previous Town Hall. The properties are nearly identical in value.
To save taxpayers money, Town Manager Andy Hyatt would like the Town Council to consider building Town Hall as part of the new Bay Oaks building on the Bay Oaks property.
Even 30K a month lease is ludicrous also. It is beyond me why “government” never spends like the money comes from their pockets. Maybe because it doesn’t…
Could the library building provide office space?
The third floor of the library was lovely but empty before Ian. Temporarily use the second floor if third floor is not enough. The town is strapped for cash so they need to get creative. 30k 👎
Wow, whose palms are getting greased on this deal? Probably the same people that chose Bateman Construction (which happened to be the most expensive) to do the shoddy work on Estero or the same people that decided to buy turtle lights for 3 times the cost of regular lights. FMB could have literally purchased storage containers and build offices that they would have owned and could have sold after. Notice how the tax payers always find out these “deals” after the fact???
$7K a month to rent one modular box? Houston, we have a problem.
Cheaper than some of the rentals on the beach side… just saying!
We sure do