Fort Myers Beach Chamber of Commerce passes resolution calling on Lee County School District to cease actions detrimental to Beach Elementary School and community

The Fort Myers Beach Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors has passed a resolution reiterating strong support for Fort Myers Beach Elementary School, its students, parents and community, and urging the Lee County School District to honor the interlocal agreement between the town and school district which requires the school to be open through at least 2027.

The resolution calls on the school district to “cease actions detrimental to the school and community” through the school board voting to submit a Castaldi Report to the state which requests permission to raze the Fort Myers Beach Elementary School campus.

This is the second time the chamber of commerce has voted to approve a resolution denouncing actions by the Lee County School District. In June, the chamber derided a consultant’s report that Supt. Dr. Denise Carlin had requested for a facilities and feasibility study for the Fort Myers Beach Elementary School. The chamber questioned the findings and accuracy of the report, which called for the closure of the elementary school.

In the resolution voted on by the chamber Wednesday, the board of directors cited the vote to submit the Castaldi Report as being “added at the last minute to the consent agenda, without prior notice, public discussion, or consultation with the Town, parents, Fort Myers Beach Elementary School Ad Hoc Committee, or the broader Fort Myers Beach community, leaving the community completely unaware that demolition was being considered.”

The chamber’s resolution says “the last-minute, non-transparent decision undermines trust, violates the spirit and intent of the interlocal agreement, and disregards years of community investment, planning, student stability, and phased rebuild commitments.

The actions by the school district’s administration and school board, the chamber board, found had led to harm against the Fort Myers Beach community, citing “disrupted educational continuity, emotional distress for students, reduced enrollment, instability in staffing, and diminished community confidence, as a direct result of District actions and failure to uphold the interlocal agreement.”

The resolution further states that “The Chamber strongly opposes the School Board’s October 7, 2025 vote to raze Fort Myers Beach Elementary School, added last minute to the consent agenda without notification or public engagement, and deems this action in direct conflict with the ILA and harmful to students, staff, families, and the broader community.”

The chamber’s resolution demands the school district “honor all obligations under the interlocal agreement including the phased rebuild plan, operational funding, and promised facilities, and immediately cease actions that disrupt enrollment, staffing, or programs.”

The Chamber calls on the District to “provide transparent, timely, and actionable communication to students, parents, and the community, including detailed plans, timelines, updates regarding facilities, staffing, and program continuity, and public release of all supporting reports, including the Castaldi and Facility Assessment reports.”

The chamber resolution also urges the District “to fully utilize the $11.4 million FEMA award to restore, repair, and modernize Fort Myers Beach Elementary School as intended, rather than demolish critical facilities.”

The resolution backs the town council’s vote on Monday to begin mediation proceedings with the school district in order to reopen the school.

“The Chamber affirms that continued non-compliance or unilateral decisions by the District will have serious consequences, including potential legal action, erosion of public trust, and harm to the children and families of Fort Myers Beach,” the board’s resolution states.

The rare action by the chamber board to vote on a resolution involving the elementary school speaks to how the delays in reopening the Fort Myers Beach Elementary School and lack of action to move forward with a plan have rattled the Fort Myers Beach community, including parents of students and the business community.

In a separate statement sent out by Fort Myers Beach Chamber of Commerce President Jacki Liszak, the chamber called the school board’s vote to submit the Castaldi Report, which sets in motion potentially razing and demolishing the elementary school, “unacceptable, particularly given the availability of $11.34 million in FEMA disaster recovery funds, authorized under Section 428 of the Robert T. Stafford Act, designated to repair and restore Fort Myers Beach Elementary School.”

The school district spent $6 million to repair the school after Hurricane Ian and demolished several buildings in a project that was far extensive than anything that would be required to reopen the Fort Myers Beach Elementary School. The district receive FEMA funding and insurance funds to cover that cost.

The district had estimated it would only cost $1.3 million for the lowest-cost option to reopen the school earlier this year, when the district released cost estimates for five options.

Later, at the insistence of Supt. Dr. Denise Carlin, the school board enlisted a consultant to do a second report in which repair cost estimates ranged from $7 million to more than $9 million.

Since Hurricane Milton, the school district has spent $641,000 on repairs, stabilization, and remediation at Fort Myers Beach Elementary School. Flood insurance covers up to $500,000 in damages.