Don’t give up local control of mosquitoes
Be careful what you wish for.
On November 3, Fort Myers Beach voters will decide whether to merge our Mosquito Control District with Lee County Mosquito Control.
Before giving up a district that belongs to Fort Myers Beach, residents should understand exactly what we’re giving up.
This summer exposed problems with our Mosquito Control District. When mosquitoes became unbearable, residents demanded action. The Board initially declined to spend approximately $20,000 to have the Estero Preserve sprayed, despite having more than $800,000 in reserves.
Residents spoke up. The Board listened. The spraying happened.
That’s local control.
If we merge with Lee County, consider what changes.
We lose our assets. The district’s approximately $800,000 in reserves and its property next to the Woman’s Club would transfer to Lee County.
We pay a higher tax rate. FMB Mosquito Control currently levies .1123 mills. Lee County Mosquito Control levies .22 mills-nearly twice as much.
We lose local control. Today, our commissioners are our neighbors. When there’s a mosquito problem, residents can call and get a response. After a merger, Fort Myers Beach becomes one small part of a much larger district.
Does our current district need improvement? Absolutely.
Let’s demand better planning, a proactive spraying schedule, more transparency and better communication from the district and its new executive director, Brenton Betts. And when commissioners come up for reelection, hold them accountable for their decisions.
But fixing our district and giving away our district are two very different things.
Once the money, property and local control are transferred, we don’t simply get them back if we’re unhappy with the results.
The Fort Myers Beach Mosquito Control District belongs to this community.
Before we give it away-and pay more in the process-we should be very sure that’s what we want.
Keran Farrell
Fort Myers Beach