10/06/26 BoCC Regular Meeting

Lee County Board of County Commissioners regular meeting, October 6, 2026. The board approved a negotiated change order of approximately $1.8 million for the completed Big Carlos Pass Bridge project, arising from additional pile testing and related work. One commissioner opposed approval after earlier motions to deny the claim or limit payment to $500,000 failed. The board also dedicated $50 million in CDBG-DR funding to the Mike Greenwell Regional Park project and approved a separate $600,000 Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services grant for the park. The park plan remains conceptual: commissioners directed staff to explore maximizing enclosed, multipurpose and educational space, consider removing the amphitheater, and continue public engagement through a proposed workshop. Staff noted HUD funding eligibility limits and FEMA floodplain requirements; design procurement and further project decisions remain ahead.

Other approved spending and infrastructure actions included an interlocal agreement for the Sunshine Boulevard widening project, coordinating Lehigh Acres drainage improvements and roadway construction; authorization for 10 beach and shoreline program agreements totaling $3.9 million; and a public-private agreement adding Lee Boulevard resurfacing to developer-built county road improvements. A proposed temporary Bonita Beach trolley service was estimated at $385,000 for nine months, though the transcript does not capture its final disposition. A Gateway representative objected to Lee County Utilities’ proposed 16% FY2027 bulk-rate increase and asked the county to reconsider it; no board action on that proposal is recorded.