The audio equipment at Fort Myers Beach Town Hall has been malfunctioning for years. Microphones not picking up what council members, committee members and speakers are saying has frustrated residents who try to stay up on what’s happening with their tax money.
Despite consistent complaining from taxpayers about the poor quality of the sound, repairing the system had never beena priority for the town manager. Until 2021.
Back in June the town council allocated up to $283,000 for new audio and video equipment for town hall.
The room was originally planned to be worked on while the town council took its summer break from meetings. However, that plan went awry when the equipment didn’t arrive on time. Supply chain issues were to blame, according to town manager Roger Hernstadt.
More waiting, more audio cutting out in meetings. The town council will cancel its February 22nd meeting to allow Bonita Video to install all the equipment without having to stop work. So it looks like the first meeting being broadcast with new equipment will be March 7th town council meeting. .
The town is using Bonita Video to purchase and install the new state-of-the-art technology. Antonio Correia, from Bonita Video, has done previous audio visual work with Estero, and Bonita Springs.
The town budget includes $75,000 for new equipment. Additional funding will need to be allocated to cover the final cost of the project.
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