Beach News Today
kIKER WANTS JUDAH'S COMMISSION SEAT
5 day(s) ago | Post a Comment | Beach News Today
Fort Myers Beach Mayor Larry Kiker wants Ray Judah's Lee County Commission seat. Kiker says he's runnning for the commission. The Rebublican primary is in August. Also iin the race is retired reporter Charlie Whitehead, who lives on San Carlos Island. Judah has yet to announce if he's running for another term. Kiker said he will remain on the beach council while he runs for the county seat.
VOTERS SAY NO TO TOWN HALL MONEY
1 week(s) ago | Post a Comment | Beach News Today
Beach voters shouted a resounding no to borrowing up to $7 million for a new town hall. More than 86 percent of those who turned out to vote said no to the town's request. Only 13 percent favored it. It isn't known yet if the council will keep leasing its present location or file eminent domain on the building and property and let a judge decide the final amount. One this is clear, it will be much less than the millions that would have been needed to buy land and build a new town hall.
Booze on our beaches still on agenda
1 week(s) ago | Post a Comment | Beach News Today
The town council will hold at least one workshop to discuss plans for how to expand alcohol sales onto the bahting beaches, something that most bars, restaurants and resorts can't do now. Town Community Deveopment Director Walter Fluegel has laid out a plan that would required drinkers to sit behind ropes and bollards near the business and not be able to mingle with beachgoers laying on blankets out on the bathing beaches. The drinks would have to remain in that confined area. The Lee County Sheriff's Department has enorsed that restriction to make it easier for their deputies to know where the boundaries are. But councilman Joe Kosinski is opposed to the confinement and wants to let drinkers go out onto the bathing beaches. Under Fluegel's plan the sales of alchohol outiside on the beaches would have to end one hour after sunset. Two public hrearings will be held on whatever plan the council finally goes forward with. We'll let you know the dates of those hearings.
Pool is soaking taxpayers
5 month(s) ago | Post a Comment | Beach News Today
September's Tidelines reveals how broken promises at the island's community pool are soaking beach taxpayers. The story also reveals that costs there are four times higher than the public was told they would be when the pool was built. Be sure and pick up a copy of Tidelines at business along the island now. You can find them at Publix, the Post Office, Topps, both banks, The Munch Box, the Library, The Mermaid Lounge, Town Hall, Sun Hardware and the Yucatan Grill. You can also have them mailed to your home or business. Just call 470-3407 for mailing requests. You can also read it online at fmbcivic.org.
Water, electric bills rising
6 month(s) ago | Post a Comment | Beach News Today
Fort Myers Beach residents will have to dig deeper to pay a new tax the town is about to adopt in the face of its growing bureacracy and declining revenues. The new tax would be in addition to rate hikes in your power bills and town water bills.
The town is about to lower the property tax rate but add a new tax - a ten percent tax on your electric bills. The council already has tentatively approved the new tax in one of two public hearings and it's set to vote for final approval on Sept. 26 unless residents show up in big numbers to oppose it. The tax on Florida Power and Light bills will paid by the customer - you - and will go the town to support its growing bureacracy. The new tax would take effect in April after a probable FPL rate hike and yet another rate hike in the the town's water rates.
Beach taxpayers will have the opportunity to oppose that tax in the final public hearing at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 26 at Town Hall council chambers.
Seniors unhappy with Bay Oaks
6 month(s) ago | Post a Comment | Beach News Today
Seniors belonging to the Bay Oaks Recreation Center's programs are unhappy, saying the town has decreased their programs. The dissension comes while the center continues to lose huge sums of taxpayers dollars. In the past two years since the town took over operations of the place from the county the center and pool have lost $1.4 million. The small amount of revenues the center prodcues are expected to decline again over the next year, budget numbers show. Meanwhile, the town is considering pouring more money into the operations, bumping up the budget from $840,000 this year to $1.048 million over next year.