Governor’s budget includes funding for Fort Myers Beach
Florida’s $117.9 billion budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year recently signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis includes approximately $1.2 million in funding for Fort Myers Beach. The funding requires matching funds from the town.
The projects included in the funding are $585,000 for Fort Myers Beach road infrastructure, $292,500 for Fort Myers Beach stormwater downtown mitigation and $350,000 for Fort Myers Beach south water tower renovations and mitigation due to impacts from Hurricane Ian.
The town will have to match those dollars in order to receive the funding for the work.
“Repairs include the repair and elevation of a backup generator, replacing valves and materials, building repairs, and mitigation efforts to address the potential for future flooding,” Fort Myers Beach Communications Director Nicole Berzin said. “Funding is anticipated to cover the cost of the repairs.”
The office of State Senator Jonathan Martin, R-Fort Myers, confirmed the funding is in this year’s budget.
Fort Myers Beach Vice Mayor Jim Atterholt said the town will now have to assess where it will find the funds to match the state grants. Atterholt said the assignment will be slightly tougher this year as the town begins its budgeting process as the town still does not have a full-time permanent replacement for its former finance director Joe Onzick.
“I’m sure the town has these funds but where are we taking them from?” Atterholt said.
Atterholt said that while recent development projects approved by the town will eventually provide impact fees to help fund the town’s budget, the town won’t be seeing that money right away.
Berzin said the town’s other water tower on the north end of the town which incurred significant damage from Hurricane Ian will be repaired through a federal community block grant.
The state budget also does not include a waiver of the $11.9 million bridge loan that DeSantis authorized for the town in 2023 after Hurricane Ian. Town officials have lobbied for the loan to be forgiven. The loan requires that the town repay the amount with interest. Messages left with the office of DeSantis were not returned.
The new budget signed by DeSantis included $567 million in line-item vetoes of state legislature appropriations, which did not touch the funding for Fort Myers Beach.
“The great news is (the town’s projects) weren’t line-item vetoed,” Atterholt said. “The town is very grateful to our state delegation and to the governor as we recover.”
To reach Nathan Mayberg, please email nmayberg@breezenewspapers.com