(By Fort Myers Beach Fire Chief Scott Wirth) Are the Lee County community-oriented special fire districts more cost-effective than the larger, regional fire districts in Collier County? I’ve done the research and here are the facts.
In 2014, Collier County had several fire districts merge into two regional districts; the Greater Naples Fire District and the North Collier Fire District. During the same period of time, Lee County has maintained 17 independent special fire districts.
Recently, Florida State Representative Botana asserted that merging community-based public safety services into a larger, regional fire district would equate to saving money. This analysis dissects that assertion by comparing the change in revenue over time to the underlying taxable value of the real property being protected.
This analysis looks at the two consolidated Collier fire districts as well as the south 8 fire districts in Lee County. The south 8 districts were selected because, for the last nine years, they typically represent some of the highest growth rates in property values, creating a worst-case scenario for Lee County in a head to head comparison. They are also the closest geographical districts to Collier County.
Note: The above chart for the Lee County fire districts is derived from using the 2022 real property values (before Hurricane Ian) and adding 5% rather than using the actual 2023 tax rolls. Using the actual tax rolls for 2023 brings the annual average for these south eight districts down to 7.7%.
What this comparison illustrates is that the two consolidated districts in Collier County are operating on an average annual increase in revenue of approximately 14.5% while the Lee County Districts, providing the same fire and EMS services, are doing so at an average annual revenue rate increase of about 9.3%.
The Fire Service in Lee County also provides Haz-mat and Urban Search & Rescue services to the entire SW Florida region. While Collier County provides approximately 10% of the staff for the Florida Task Force 6, Urban Search & Rescue Team, the Lee County Fire Districts comprise the overwhelming majority of the personnel and resources. The fire service in Lee County also provides a Type-3 Incident Management Team capable of responding to larger incidents within the region. Region 6 incorporates the counties of Collier, Lee, Charlotte, Manatee, Sarasota, DeSoto, Hendry, Glades, Highlands, and Okeechobee.
The question at the beginning was, “Are smaller, community-oriented fire districts more cost-effective than larger, regional districts? It appears from this information that the Lee County fire districts provide fire, EMS, and technical rescue services for less than the larger, consolidated districts evaluated.
In a previous interview, representative Botana was quoted as saying “We need to get rid of some of these special districts. We are a state of limited government.” Are we confusing the quantity of districts with the cost of government?
In this analysis, it appears that the community-based fire districts in Lee County are providing custom tailored services to their respective communities at a lower cost and with more citizen (Board members) participation in their local governments. Where’s the downside in this system?
If the mission of Representative Botana is to create fewer, larger governmental entities, with less local input, isn’t that the opposite of limited government? If you’d like your voice to be heard, please contact Representative Botana and tell him to study the voluntary mergers that have already occurred and prove the cost savings he claims.
Representative Adam Botana – District 80 – Adam.Botana@myfloridahouse.gov
District Office
Sunshine Professional Center
9240 Bonita Beach Road Southeast. Suite 2215
Bonita Springs, FL 34135-4251
(239) 949-6279
Capitol Office
319 The Capitol
402 South Monroe Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1300
(850) 717-5080
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