July 31, 2023 / Issue #2023-15

Join us August 8 at Mound House

Much of what we know about the Calusa has been discovered from the dozens of archaeological investigations that have taken place at the Pineland Site Complex over the past 40 years. This lecture includes light bites and museum admission. Mound members are $7 and General Admission is $15.

RESILIENT LEE COMMUNITY

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has allocated $1.1 billion in Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funding directly to Lee County to assist with the county's long-term recovery following Hurricane Ian. 

Resident participation meetings throughout unincorporated Lee County and in municipalities are planned in August to receive public comment and input on the Draft Action Plan for the grant. The meeting for the Town of FMB will be:

Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2023 at 5:30 PM

Town of Fort Myers Beach / DiamondHead Beach Resort
2000 Estero Blvd., Fort Myers Beach, FL 33931

The Draft Action Plan will be published at www.leegov.com/recovery/cdbg-dr for review and comment beginning Aug. 1 through Aug. 31, 2023. Comments can be emailed to recovery@leegov.com, mailed to Lee County Administration in care of the Office of Strategic Resources, 2115 Second St., Fort Myers, Fl, 33901, or provided during one of the public meetings. 

CDBG-DR funds may be spent on a limited number of eligible activities related to impacts from Hurricane Ian that include housing, infrastructure, economic revitalization, public services and planning. At least 70% of the grant must be used for projects that benefit Low-to-Moderate Income households, which HUD defines as a family at or below 80% of Area Median Income. For example, in Lee County a single-person household would qualify at $47,700 or less per year, whereas the limit for total household income is $68,100 per year for a family of four.

The Lee Board of County Commissioners at a regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday, Aug. 1, is expected to vote to approve the Draft CDBG-DR Action Plan Publication for the public comment period, which begins with these resident participation meetings spanning Aug. 2 through Aug. 29. After public input has been received, Lee County will submit the Action Plan to HUD for review and approval.

The CDBG-DR webpage will continue to serve as an informational resource for CDBG-DR activities. Interested parties are encouraged to visit www.leegov.com/recovery/cdbg-dr for updates.

Lee County’s Office of Strategic Resources and Government Affairs has prepared a timeline describing the necessary steps and other information at www.leegov.com/recovery/cdbg-dr. This webpage will continue to serve as an informational resource for CDBG-DR activities. Interested parties are encouraged to visit this resource periodically for updates.

The Lee Board of County Commissioners received a staff update and presentation June 27. To view the meeting video, visit the county’s YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/@LeeCountyFLBOCC/videos and search for the date. The agenda and presentation can also be found online at www.leegov.com/bocc/meetings/agendas. 

LCSO to host a Hurricane Recovery Town Hall 

Vendors such as legal advisors, roofing, and others will be present to discuss hurricane related topics.

****ATTENTION BEACHFRONT PROPERTY OWNERS**** 

The deadline to sign easements has been extended to Friday, August 18, 4 p.m.

Please sign easements by August 18 so that your property can receive the benefit of free sand to restore it after the damage caused by Hurricane Ian. This is part of the Town's beach renourishment project.

There appears to be a great deal of confusion and many questions regarding a variety of issues as to the beach renourishment project, as well as easements needed for that work to take place. The following are answers to some frequently asked questions:

I. Does the placement of publicly funded sand on private property give the public the right to use or access private beachfront property? Answer – No. The placement of publicly funded sand does not make the privately owned portion of the beach a public beach. In addition, the public does not have the right to traverse private property to reach the public beach seaward of the ECL/MHWL.  read more…

II. Why is public money being spent to place sand on properties that are owned by beachfront property owners who might be perceived by many as wealthy? Answer – Public money is being spent on beach renourishment to protect the entire island. If the beach goes away (as sadly some of it has due to Hurricane Ian), public infrastructure and private property on the island that is not beachfront will likely suffer damages in future weather events. read more…

III. Are beachfront property owners required to sign an easement and agree to beach renourishment? Answer – No. A beachfront property is not required to sign an easement, but without an easement, the Town will not place sand and take appropriate actions to maintain the beach in front of properties when the owners of the properties decline to sign an easement. read more…

IV. Is there a form easement agreement that must be signed to get publicly funded beach renourishment, and can each property owner make changes to the form easement agreement?Answer – There is a form easement agreement that can be viewed and downloaded on the Town’s website at www.fmbgov.com/beach. read more…

V. When must signed easements be delivered to the Town to participate in the beach renourishment program? Answer – There is a deadline of Friday, August 18, 2023 at 4:00 p.m. The deadline has been extended into August as the Town waits on the US Army Corps (USACE) to issue the permit. But once the USACE permit is issued, Staff will move quickly to issue the invitation to bid. Staff will make every effort to include late easements into the project, but waiting to sign may jeopardize the properties inclusion into the project. read more…

You can find more information on the Town's website at www.fmbgov.com/beach. 

Questions can be sent by email to Chadd Chustz, the Town’s Environmental Projects Manager, at chadd@fmbgov.com

Temporary Beach Management and Access Easement

Town Hall Demolition

Appointment of Scott Wirth as FMB Fire Chief

FIGHT THE BITE

Are mosquitoes becoming a problem in your area?

How to report and request service:

• Website: www.fmbmc.org - Use the service request icon to enter your information.
• Telephone: 239-247-1205 - Give us a call and tell us all about it.
• Email: fmbmctd@gmail.com - Shoot us an email and describe the situation and how to get a hold of you.

The Fort Myers Beach Mosquito Control District is recovering from Hurricane Ian as many of you in our District but there has been no interruption in our dedicated service to the Beach. 

We have the staff, products and equipment to continue to control the mosquito population. 

Certain trouble areas have been identified as a result of the Hurricane such as delinquent pools, clogged stormwater basins and other water retaining locations. These have been mapped and receive surveillance and treatment as required.

FMB Mosquito Control District

Regarding buildings damaged by Hurricane Ian:

The Town understands that high volume has caused some insurance, contracting, and assessing delays following Hurricane Ian. As of April 14, 2023, a Town-wide immediate repair mandate for all storm damaged buildings has not yet been issued. 

Notwithstanding the foregoing, please note the following:

1. Certain buildings may be deemed by the Town to be unsafe, unfit for human occupancy, or otherwise unlawful due to being dangerous to the life, health, property, or safety of the public or the occupants of the structure. Such structures may be condemned pursuant to the provisions of the International Property Maintenance Code and a Code Compliance case may be opened to ensure that certain actions are completed by the property owner to resolve these unsafe conditions.
2. It will become necessary to revise this repair mandate policy at a future date as the International Property Maintenance Code requires buildings to be kept in good repair.

Accordingly, all property owners should obtain permits to repair or demolish their damaged buildings as soon as possible.

Permits Required:

Note that the Florida Building Code (FBC) requires an issued permit prior to commencing construction.  Construction activities started prior to receiving an issued building permit covering that scope of work are violations and will result in citations, fines, and/or other legal action.  Debris can be picked up and windows boarded (to temporarily secure the building, etc), but an issued permit must be posted on the building site prior to reconstructing or repairing a building. 

The permit holder must post the issued permit on the job site throughout construction in a weather protected condition, visible from the street, and must make the Town-reviewed plans available for inspectors during scheduled inspections.  

Intent of Permitting:

The intent of permitting regulations is to help ensure that development activity is meeting all minimum standards, to protect the safety and health of the public, and to ensure that the cost of all work is recorded for tracking repetitive damage and substantial damage in the special flood hazard area. Federal, State, and local law requires the Town to do all of these as a participating community in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).

The Florida Building Code (FBC): 

The FBC contains the minimum design and construction requirements throughout the State of Florida which ensure safe and resilient structures. The FBC is intended to reduce casualties, costs, and damage by creating stronger buildings designed to withstand disasters. 

The FBC requires a building permit for the following:

• Any construction, enlargement, alteration, repair, move, demolition or change of occupancy of any building.
• Any enlargement, alteration, repair, removal, conversion, or replacement to any impact-resistant coverings, electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing systems.

The Town of Fort Myers Beach is responsible for ensuring that all construction activity is compliant with NFIP regulations, state building code, local ordinances and the Fort Myers Beach Land Development Code (LDC). One important NFIP regulation is “FEMA’s 50% rule.”  Building permit applications must be submitted along with plans and specifications that incorporate code compliance measures. Building permit applications for the Town of Fort Myers Beach must include repair/improvement cost forms listing all work necessary to restore the building to its pre-damaged condition. These forms will be evaluated by the floodplain coordinator to ensure compliance with NFIP regulations including “FEMA’s 50% rule.”

For more information, please also see the civic alert at this link:

https://www.fortmyersbeachfl.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=1048

The Fort Myers Beach Land Development Code (LDC), section 6-441: 

Any property owner or property owner's authorized agent who intends to undertake any development activity within or partially within any flood hazard area (including buildings, structures and facilities exempt from the Florida Building Code) must first make application to the floodplain administrator, and the building official, if applicable, and must obtain the required permits and approvals. No such permit or approval will be issued until compliance with the requirements of the floodplain ordinance and all other applicable codes and regulations has been satisfied. 

Estero Island is entirely within the special flood hazard area on the flood insurance rate map. 

The cost of all repairs (labor and materials) required to return a building to its pre-damaged condition must be included on the repair/improvement cost forms submitted with the required permit (remodel, residential, commercial, etc) to repair or rebuild the property.  These cost forms are reviewed by Town staff during the permit review process to ensure compliance with FEMA’s 50% rule (National Flood Insurance Program minimum requirements for participating communities). 

Please also visit the following resources provided for you by the Town of Fort Myers Beach Building Services Division:  

Building Services FAQ (Frequently asked questions):

https://www.fortmyersbeachfl.gov/Faq.aspx?TID=23

“FEMA’s 50% Rule” FAQs:  

https://www.fortmyersbeachfl.gov/1254/FEMAs-50-Rule 

Building Services Resource Library

https://www.fortmyersbeachfl.gov/1257/Resource-Library 

More information about the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and the Florida Building Code (FBC):

https://library.municode.com/fl/fort_myers_beach/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=PTIIICOOR_CH6MACOBUCOCORE_ARTIVFLRE_DIV4PE 

“Winter Break at the Beach” celebrates holiday memories on FMB

Percentage of profits from this children's book to benefit the Fort Myers Beach Community Foundation

25 nests hatched so far!

HOW TO STAY CONNECTED

1. Sign up NOW to receive alerts from the Lee County Emergency Operations Center
2. Sign up NOW for alerts from the Town of Fort Myers Beach Code Red system
3. Sign up NOW to receive text and/or email alerts as they are posted on the Town of Fort Myers Beach website homepage
4. Monitor the Town's Facebook and Twitter social media outlets
5. Monitor local media and their social media outlets
6. Monitor the social media outlets of Lee County and the Fort Myers Beach Fire District

Visit this link - www.fmbgov.com/emergencies - to sign up for the Town’s alerts and find more information. 

BE HURRICANE PREPARED

Visit Lee County's Hurricane Preparation Guide

STAY INFORMED AND AWARE 

Sign up to receive urgent texts or emails from the Town. 

The Division of Consumer Services is happy to assist you with your insurance questions and concerns or open a formal complaint.

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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 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

Open for bid:

Currently, there are no open bid opportunities.

Bids Under Review:

ITB-23-18-UT Tier 1 Improvements

Bids Awarded:

RFP-23-17-PW Road Signs 

RFP-23-13-CR Partial Re Roofing of Mound House 

RFP-23-14-PW Disaster Debris Monitoring

RFQ- 23-16-TC General Legal Representation