FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Pete Winton, Lee County Administration, (239) 335-2777

COUNTY BRINGS ADA PARATRANSIT SERVICE BACK IN-HOUSE/
APPROVES $20,000 FOR NATIONS ASSOCIATION

FORT MYERS, Fla. (November 9, 2004) - The Board of Lee County Commissioners today approved the following items during its regular weekly meeting (backup can be viewed at http://www.lee-county.com/meetings/agendafiles/2004/11-09-04/110904/110904.htm).

They are:
Bridgeless Islands - Approved bringing the county's portion of ADA Paratransit Service back in-house. The county is required to provide paratransit service within three-quarters of a mile of any of its fixed LeeTran routes. Good Wheels had been providing the service, but the county can operate the service at the same cost with more direct control.

Nations Association - Approved a $20,000 grant to Nations Association. The grant is not subject to an audit or verification of expenses, but simply is an overall operating grant.

Justice Center - Approved $4.5 million for sitework and materials purchases for the expansion of the Justice Center in downtown Fort Myers, which will include constructing a 10-story building on vacated Heitman Street. The building will be between the existing Justice Center and the county-purchased SunTrust Center. It will hold courtrooms and court-related functions.

Blasting - As part of an approval of the first blasting permit issued since new regulations went into effect in May, adopted emergency regulations that will allow exceeding the 0.3 PPV blast restriction only when a utility has waived the restriction because it has ductile iron subsurface pipes carrying potable water. The emergency exception was approved so the county could gather blast data for a developmental blasting study. A Herons Glen Phase II blasting permit with nearby Lee County Utilities pipes will allow gathering this data. Herons Glen has agreed to pay for any damage.

Debris Removal - Approved $1 million to pay for monitors during the Hurricane Charley debris removal effort that verified load capacities and documented cubic yardage being trucked to temporary disposal sites (for FEMA reimbursement purposes). The monitors worked 12-hour days, seven days a week for up to six weeks. The county estimates it has spent $25 million to remove debris in unincorporated Lee County, City of Bonita Springs and Town of Fort Myers Beach. That could increase to $35 million once the debris at the temporary sites is removed permanently.

Reduced Densities - Approved pursuing a Comprehensive Plan amendment (county sponsored) to consider reducing densities in the Coastal High Hazard Area through the rezoning process instead of just amendments to the Comprehensive Plan.

Mobile Homes - Requested County Administration and the County Attorney's Office contact the Department of Motor Vehicles and Governor's Office to waive a restriction on transporting mobile homes older than 10 years old into or out of Lee County. Several organizations have offered good-condition mobile homes to Hurricane victims on Pine Island, but the restriction is preventing them from being used.

Coy Resolution - Presented a resolution to outgoing District #4 Commissioner Andy Coy. It reads as follows:

RESOLUTION

Whereas:
Andy Coy will be leaving the Board of Lee County Commissioners on November 16, 2004 after serving 10 years as the District #4 Commissioner; and

Whereas:
Commissioner Coy dutifully and faithfully served his District #4 constituents as well as all residents of Lee County; and

Whereas:
Commissioner Coy has been a steadying and stabilizing influence on the Board, helping create an atmosphere of civil discourse and debate, professionalism, unity, and working together as a collegial body. During his tenure, only one commission seat has changed hands, and that due to a retirement. The current Board members have a total of 56 years of experience on the Lee County Commission; and

Whereas:
During Commissioner Coy's tenure, Lee County has experienced tremendous growth and the Board of Lee County Commissioners has approved hundreds of projects, programs and policies to keep up with that growth. Some of the key decisions he was a part of include: expansion of Southwest Florida International Airport; expansion of the Waste-to-Energy Facility; expansions of the Cape Coral and North Fort Myers libraries; additions of recreational playing fields and a community room at North Fort Myers Community Park; completion of Veterans Memorial Parkway to the west and Del Prado Extension to the east; planning for the Burnt Store Road Corridor; and decisions on numerous other roads, bike paths, sidewalks, libraries, and parks; and

Whereas:
Commissioner Coy also has been a champion for Lee County's many veterans, serving as the Board's liaison to the veterans' community. His strong leadership has helped raise awareness about veterans and veterans' issues, particularly through the annual Veterans Day Parade and Memorial Day ceremonies, and the rededication of the county's Veterans Memorial Plaque. He opened a Cape Coral Office in part to be more accessible to many of those veterans; and

Whereas:
Commissioner Coy is a strong voice for the county's Conservation 20/20 Land Acquisition Program and its goal of creating public access to preserves for passive recreation; and

Whereas:
Andy never wavered from his conservative views and values, but he also loved to debate them and was an accessible listener to people of all viewpoints. He wrote many guest opinions during his tenure on everything from economics to social and environmental issues. A sampling from the collection of writings on his commissioner web site range from "Ronald Reagan - A Tribute," to "The Role of Government," "Capitalism, The Free-Market and Private Property Rights," and "Where Have You Gone Ward Cleaver;" and

Whereas:
Andy's graciousness, respectfulness, and wry sense humor were hallmarks of his dealings with everyone. We think that two of Andy's heroes, first and foremost former President Ronald Reagan, "the great communicator," and basketball legend and fellow Hoosier Larry Bird, "the master of the half inch," would be proud.

Now, therefore be it resolved that the Board of Lee County Commissioners:
Does hereby applaud and commend Commissioner Andy Coy for his decade of outstanding service to the citizens of Lee County and for his dedication to making our community a better place to live and work.