July 6, 2022 / Issue #2022-27

July 4th was a celebratory day in Fort Myers Beach with the parade in the morning and the fireworks at night!

Special thanks to the parade’s Grand Marshalls Patrick McKeown, Jan Fleming and Janeen Paulauskis who are the Town's Citizens of Distinction from 2021 and 2022. They rode on the Town float that was created by the Utilities Department.
 

Thanks to everyone who participated in the parade and came to watch!

 
Shoutout to the staff who worked hard before, during and after to pull everything together for the festivities, including the Culture, Parks and Recreation, Utilities, and Public Works Departments.

Visit the Town's Facebook page for additional pictures. 

New parking spaces

The under construction Margaritaville resort has turned over 22 new public parking spaces which were unveiled in time for the busy July 4th weekend.

These spots are located next to the newly-named beach access "Waistina Way". Town Council chose the name from a list of more than 100 names provided by community members. 

These new spots bring the Town's total paid public parking spaces to 400, which does not include commercial lots. 
 

Looking for a parking space in the Town?

Text PARKING to 239-FMBeach

This will lead you to information about available Town-operated spaces. Availability is updated three times a day by the Beach and Street Enforcement (BASE) team. 

Florida Power & Light will be trimming trees and vegetation in the areas marked in red on the below map in the coming weeks.

This work will be performed by Lewis Tree Service, a qualified line-clearing contractor. 

For neighborhood trimming, residents will be notified in advance of any associated work occurring on their properties. 

Trees and vegetation are a leading cause of outages, especially during hurricanes and severe weather.

Visit fpl.com/trees to learn more about power line safety and the line-clearing program. 

Hurricane season has started

Reminder
It's sea turtle nesting season

Make sure blinds are closed at dusk and lights are not visible from the beach. Light can disorient turtles from nesting on the beach and hatchlings from travelling the correct direction toward the water.

Learn more:  www.turtletime.org
Visit the  sea turtle section on the Town's website

PLEASE DO NOT USE FLASHLIGHTS OR PHONE LIGHTS ON THE BEACH

During the nightly patrols that Town staff have been conducting to monitor sea turtle nesting regulations, dozens of white flashlights and phone lights have been observed. These lights disorient nesting sea turtles and their hatchlings. 

Town staff have been distributing long wavelength flashlights to beachgoers provided by the Marine and Environmental Resources Task Force (MERTF) to educate about the lights that are permissible. 

Thanks for recycling FMB! 
 

Lee County Solid Waste has announced that the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) has named Lee County Solid Waste Florida’s top recycling county for 2021.

The amount of material Lee County residents recycled in 2021 would be enough to fill 168 football fields with material 70 feet high – as high as the highest point on the Sanibel Causeway.
 
Lee County received credit for recycling 1.6 million tons of the total 2.61 million tons of waste generated locally, according to numbers that FDEP recently released. This brings the county’s recycling rate to 81%.
 
This is the sixth time Lee County has led the state in recycling since Florida began tracking in 2000. Strong participation by both residents and businesses has enabled Lee County to meet and exceed the state’s 75% recycling goal every year since 2017.
 
FDEP recycling credits are acquired for items such as curbside recycling by residents as well as business recycling of materials such as cardboard, yard waste, scrap metal and construction and demolition debris.

Lee County also receives recycling credit for energy produced from garbage processed at the Waste-to-Energy plant in Buckingham.
 
Visit www.leegov.com/solidwaste for more information. 

WARNING

Have you seen a toad that looks like this?
Keep your pets away!

Please be aware that cane toads are invasive to our area and poisonous. They can be deadly if your pet bites or ingests them. Euthanizing the toad humanely is permitted.

Learn more 

New plants along Estero Boulevard are starting to grow and bloom 

A few months ago, these plants – Perennial Peanut and Mimosa – were put in along Estero Boulevard from the Red Coconut to Publix. These plantings followed the completion of the long-term improvement project for the road, sidewalks, water and stormwater structures.

Lee County is evaluating internet and broadband service and needs your help 

In cooperation with the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity’s Office of Broadband, Lee County is asking residents and visitors to take an internet speed test and a broadband survey to help evaluate current capabilities and determine areas in need of added service.

Take the internet speed test and
fill out the broadband survey

 
The results of tests taken throughout Lee County will further develop Florida’s Broadband Availability Map which will display areas in need of additional broadband service.
 

IMPORTANT information from Lee County Utilities

(The Town’s water comes from Lee County)

Weekly Events July 7, through July 16

 July Events

July 2022 Calendar

Summer lecture series to feature
Latino history, birds, bugs and butterflies
 

The iconic Mound House, one of Southwest Florida’s most-beloved historic attractions that traces its roots to the ancient Calusa of over 2,000 years ago, is inaugurating a new Summer Lecture Series. 

The series is for adults only with a wine and refreshments reception at 5:30 p.m. and the lectures from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Due to limited seating, advance registrations are necessary by the Monday before each lecture. Make reservations by calling 239-765-0865. Cost is $7 for Mound House members and $12 for non-members.

July 12
Reservations due by July 11
Adam Knight, Mound House Museum Educator
Rancho Reality: Latino History at the Mound House 

August 9
Reservations due by August 8
Bobby Feldman, Mound House Curator of Education
The Creatures of the Mound House: From Birds to Bugs

September 13
Reservations due by September 12
Yvette Carrasco, Environmental Educator
Butterflies by the Bay

www.moundhouse.org

Did you know that beyond the tourist resorts of Mexico awaits a fascinating world of history, archaeology, culture, and natural wonders? Our trip to Mexico starts in Merida, the Capital of the Yucatan, which is a city culturally rich with both Mayan and colonial heritage. While in the Yucatan we will visit the Mayan sites of Uxmal, a UNESCO Heritage Site, and Mayapan, an important city during the final centuries of the Maya civilization.

The geology of the Yucatan is unique and a visit to the Geohydrologic Anillo de Cenotes will provide an opportunity to see sinkholes created from a meteor impact 65 million years ago and take a refreshing swim. A must-do while in the Yucatan, and on our itinerary, is visiting the Celestun Biosphere Reserve, which encompasses 146,000 acres, and is home to 304 bird species including thousands of flamingos.

Boat rides and walking trails will offer splendid views at various times of the day.

From Merida, we will fly to Mexico City and spend a couple of days visiting the archaelogical sites of Teotihuacan and Tenochtitlan, National Museum of Anthropology, and UNAM Botanical Garden while staying in the popular district of Zocalo.

Traveling west into the central highlands of Michoacan, we will have the opportunity to witness one of nature’s amazing wonders – the wintering grounds of the monarch butterfly where millions of these butterflies arrive from across the eastern United States and Canada.

Traveling back to Mexico City, it will be time to return home with abundant memories and photographs sure to last a lifetime.

Environmental education pop-up booth hosted by the Marine and Environmental Resources Task Force

Representatives from the Town's Marine and Environmental Resources Task Force (MERTF) are hosting a pop-up educational booth at various locations around Town throughout the month.

Community members interested in serving as volunteers to advise and support the work of Town government are encouraged to apply for current openings on the Town's advisory boards and committees.

The Town’s boards and committees exist to advise Town Council about Bay Oaks Recreational Campus, the Matanzas Pass Mooring Field, Mound House, Newton Beach Park, finances, island preservation and history, marine resources, anchorage, nuisance abatement, and public safety.

Available openings:

ATTENTION BUILDING CONTRACTORS

Effective September 22, 2022, all contractors registered with the Town MUST be a licensed contractor through the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR). Contractors licensed through the Lee County Contractor Licensing Board will not be allowed to register with the Town or apply for building permits.

Department of Business & Professional Regulation

Keep up on the schedule of Town Council and advisory committee meetings

View the meeting calendar on the Town's website

Upcoming meetings

The Town of Fort Myers Beach has partnered with DemandStar which is open and accessible to all businesses and gives instant access to RFPs, RFQs, and ITBs 

Read more about bids and proposals