The Pulse
Lee County Commissioner Brian Hamman
The North Fort Myers community is a special place, with a rich history. One of its first settlers was John Powell, who started a 160-acre orange grove near where the Shell Factory is now located, and served as one of the original Lee County Commissioners.
This pioneer spirit stills exists today among the citizens of North Fort Myers. That’s why when media outlets started reporting several weeks ago about the city of Fort Myers looking to annex part of North Fort Myers along the Caloosahatchee River, there was a resounding “Oh heck, no!”
I, too, was one of those people, which is why I got to work trying to find out if the media reports were true and if they were, how to stop it.
Here in Florida annexation is the formal process by which local governments add land to their territory and there are four different ways it can be done.
One is through a voluntary annexation where a property owner decides they want to be a part of the city. The second way is an involuntary annexation which means the city adopts an ordinance and a referendum is held to take the land. The third option is to enter into an interlocal agreement with the county and hold public hearings. The last way is through a Special Act of the State Legislature.
The issue in North Fort Myers first came to light when the Fort Myers City Council started having informal discussions during meetings about the lack of large undeveloped property within the city.
They then started looking north across the river.
The second time they discussed it, the issue was part of an official agenda item regarding floating docks near the Old Bridge Marina at the base of the Edison Bridge.
The annexation talk centered on leveraging a North Fort Myers property owner’s submerged land lease renewal with the city, and forcing them to apply for voluntary annexation into Fort Myers.
Without a lease renewal, the property owner would be unable to use the docks at the marina, effectively shutting down his business. This scenario is a far cry from what one would call “voluntary.”
As North Fort Myers’ representative on the board of county commissioners, I wanted to try and do something to persuade Fort Myers to stop eyeing territory north of the river.
At the next meeting of the county commissioners, I asked our county attorney to monitor and oppose any legal actions by the city of Fort Myers to annex property north of the Caloosahatchee River.
I also asked our county manager to prepare an analysis of the benefits of North Fort Myers remaining unincorporated versus the disadvantages of being within the city of Fort Myers.
I also contacted our State Legislative Delegation and requested that they amend or repeal the grant of ownership Fort Myers has to the river bottom, a right that was granted in 1915, which I believe is no longer necessary today.
Shortly after our meeting, the city of Fort Myers indicated that they would not be pursuing an annexation of lands in North Fort Myers. It was the right decision and I applaud the Fort Myers City Council for realizing that annexing North Fort Myers is not the way to expand its borders.
I am privileged to represent the citizens of Lee County as a commissioner and I will continue to protect their interests and be their voice in decisions like this.
Brian Hamman
Lee County Commissioner
District 4