DeSantis signs $117.6 billion budget with more than $13 million for Lee County projects

The $117.6 billion budget signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis this week includes more than $13 million in funding for Lee County projects, as well as numerous vetoes of funding for local projects which had been approved by the state legislature.

The budget includes $7.5 million for Lee County to conduct a report and study to explore facilitating a new interchange between Tuckers Grade and Bayshore Road, $2 million for the county to construct force mains and upgrade valves to connect the wastewater system to the new Southeast Water Reclamation Facility in South Fort Myers in order to improve flow reliability and support growth in the county, $2.5 million for the county’s water reclamation facility project on Fort Myers Beach, $1.3 million for a new county medical examiner facility, and $600,000 for Lee County’s Mike Greenwell Regional Park to fund master planning, design and/or construction for the 92.3-acre site in northeast Lee County for a multi-use event center, agricultural facilities, and community amenities.

The new Fort Myers Beach water reclamation facility will rehabilitate and modernize the Fort Myers Beach Water Reclamation Facility to restore treatment capacity, replace aging infrastructure, and repair damage from Hurricane Ian, according to a synopsis of the plans provided by the county. Key improvements include constructing three advanced Biological Nutrient Removal (BNR) trains – vital in the advanced wastewater treatment process – and implementing hazard mitigation and flood-proofing

measures to protect the facility from future climate impacts, ensuring reliable service for coastal

communities.

Among the county projects vetoed by DeSantis in the region was $2.5 million for the Lee County Sun Trail Network/Iona Area Sidewalk project. The proposal from the county was to construct a new sidewalk on Pine Ridge Rd from San Carlos Blvd to Summerlin Rd. This would be part of the statewide Shared-Use non-motorized (SUN) Trail Network.

DeSantis also vetoed $1.1 million for the Program for All Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) in Lee County, $1 million for a Bonita Beach Road landscaping design project, $1 million for a Bonita Springs Paradise Road Bike Pedestrian Improvement Project, $600,000 for a Bonita Beach Road/Imperial Parkway Gateway Aesthetic Improvement, $750,000 for a Fort Myers fire station, and a veto of $125,000 that had been approved by the state legislature for safety and security for the Holocaust Museum & Cohen Education Center in Naples.

In the Town of Fort Myers Beach, DeSantis approved $1 million for the funding of a clubhouse for the Fort Myers Beach Woman’s Club. The old clubhouse was destroyed by Hurricane Ian. DeSantis also approved $400,000 for the town for stormwater infrastructure improvements in and around Times Square, and for sidewalk and street repairs

There has been no word from the governor’s office on whether DeSantis will forgive an $11.9 million emergency bridge loan the state gave to Fort Myers Beach after Hurricane Ian. The town has previously requested the loan be forgiven and state legislators had previously said that was under consideration. Fort Myers Beach Mayor Dan Allers said that the town did not ask for the waiver this year.