Fort Myers Beach Mosquito Control District under threat from state’s merger bill
Fort Myers Beach property owners would pay higher millage rate if voters approve referendum
These rainy days and nights lately have meant one thing for the spray technicians of the Fort Myers Beach Mosquito Control District: little sleep.
This kind of weather during the rainy season is the perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes. Their eggs mostly hatch off the island, but are blown onto the island during storms and when winds pick up.
Luckily for Fort Myers Beach, the staff of the Fort Myers Beach Mosquito Control District is able to respond quickly to the threat as they centrally located mid-island at Lazy Way next to the Sterling Avenue property of the Fort Myers Beach Women’s Club. Their location helps them get to Fort Myers Beach properties in a hurry, responding to areas where standing water builds up or reports of mosquito activity surface. M
That could change in an instant if Fort Myers Beach voters choose this November on a referendum to merge with the Lee County Mosquito Control District.
The Lee County Mosquito Control District is based in Buckingham, which can be more than an hour’s drive away.
“Now you are going to have to stand in line with Cape Coral, Sanibel, Captiva, Fort Myers” for treatments and responses, Fort Myers Beach Mosquito Control District Commissioner Steve Johnson said. “Right now, this district is our world.”
It would also be costly.
The millage rate of the Lee County Mosquito Control District is nearly twice the rate of the Fort Myers Beach Mosquito Control District. Lee County’s rate is .22 per thousand dollars of assessed value, while Fort Myers Beach has a rate of .1123.
That means Fort Myers Beach property owners could not only lose local control of their mosquito control, but will also have to pay more to outsource the work to the county.
The Fort Myers Beach Mosquito Control District has the lowest millage rate in the state of any mosquito control district, Johnson said.
“We provide a concierge service tailored and customized to the needs of the town’s property owners. We work to get them the service they need,” Johnson said. “We do different things for different landowners. We are doing a custom treatment of the Mound House where there is standing water, using backpack sprayers.”
Fort Myers Beach Mosquito Control District Spray Technician Chriss Brill said Fort Myers Beach has special needs that require close attention since it is surrounded by the Estero Bay Preserve, which can’t be treated due to state laws. Therefore, Brill and his team are on their toes this time of year responding quickly to any outbreaks that move off the marshland in the preserve.
Much of his work is done identifying any potential larvae before they hatch, staying one step ahead of any problems. Brill regularly checks on drains and areas known in the past to be a problem or source for mosquito activity. He will spray where it is necessary, directing the district’s resources to where they are needed.
“With great power comes great responsibility,” Brill said. “We have a big responsibility to be eco-friendly.” Brill said the technicians are careful not to spray too many chemicals, and only apply them where necessary in order to avoid harming the town’s water and ecosystem. “Everything we treat, touches the water,” he said.
Each day, Brill goes and checks the drains around Fort Myers Beach, checking for hotspots and looking out for standing water. He studies the drains with specialized equipment to see if there is any sign of mosquito larvae activity. Brill and his crew have close relationships with property owners, condominium associations and local businessowners that enable them to keep a lid on mosquito activity taking root.
Brill’s best friends are the frogs and tadpoles which scoop up mosquitoes in and around drains and other water sources. Native grasses also limit the ability of mosquito populations to grow. “The tadpoles really take care of business,” he said.
Brill said he takes it “personally” to know that residents, businesses and visitors are being protected by the threat and harm of mosquitoes due to their personalized attention. “We want people to come to the beach and enjoy a lovely day without being bit by bugs,” he said.
Brill said Fort Myers Beach is fortunate to have the localized attention of the Fort Myers Beach Mosquito Control District. He fears that if the island were swallowed up by the Lee County Mosquito Control District, that personalized attention would be gone and instead the treatments would involve just the large-scale dumping of chemicals.
Brill said it would be hard to replace the fast response times that the Fort Myers Beach Mosquito Control District employees. “We respond to every call within 24 hours or less,” Brill said.
The proposed merger was first advanced by State Rep. Adam Botana (R-Bonita Springs), whose district encompasses Fort Myers Beach in 2023. Botana proposed the measure against the wishes of the Fort Myers Beach Mosquito Control District commissioners and the former Town of Fort Myers Beach Council in 2023. That bill failed to advance. A new bill proposed last year by State Rep. Mike Giallombardo (R-Cape Coral), which requires both the voters in the Fort Myers Beach Mosquito Control District and the voters in the larger Lee County Mosquito Control District to approve the measure at referendum, passed last year – setting up this November’s referendum.
Voters in the Fort Myers Beach Mosquito Control District, which also includes San Carlos Island, will have to approve the merger for it to become law. In addition, Lee County voters outside the district will also have to vote to accept the Fort Myers Beach district.
While the Town of Fort Myers Beach Council opposed Botana’s legislation in 2023, they didn’t write a letter of objection opposing last year’s bill. The Council also did not send a letter opposing to the proposed merger of the Fort Myers Beach Fire Control District this year, which is also up for referendum in November. Likewise, the Town of Fort Myers Beach Council raised objections to the initial proposal to merge the Fort Myers Beach Fire Control District with the Iona-McGregor Fire District in 2023, but the Town Council has been silent this year on making any statements.
Johnson said the state bill is a way of eliminating the home-rule of citizens.
“They are trying to take away our sovereignty,” Johnson said.
The Fort Myers Beach Mosquito Control District lost their pole barn and garage during Hurricane Ian. They are working on planning for a new office building, with a garage underneath. They have been working out of trailers since Hurricane Ian. The district utilizes two pickup trucks with low-volume sprayers to serve the seven-mile island.
The Fort Myers Beach Control District dates back more than 75 years, having been created in 1949. Botana did not return a message seeking comment for this article. Botana said in 2023, the last time he spoke to the Fort Myers Beach Observer about his proposed merger, that he was asked by his party’s leadership to identify special districts that could be merged.
Johnson said the Fort Myers Beach Mosquito Control District is about “protecting the public health.” Johnson called it a “public safety” issue. Mosquitoes kill millions of people worldwide every year, more people than any other creature on earth.
Neither Fort Myers Beach Mayor Dan Allers or Giallombardo returned a message seeking comment on the merger bill.