September 1, 2021 / Issue #2021-35

Budget hearings scheduled for evening meetings on September 9 and 16

Town Council will hold its regular September meetings at 5:01 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 9, and Thursday, Sept. 16 to comply with state law requiring municipality budget hearings to be held in the evening. Agendas for the September meetings include the Fiscal Year 2021-22 Budget.

Weight room and gym at Bay Oaks closed Wednesday mornings to host students

Due to a new agreement between the Town and the Lee County School District that started today, the weight room and gym at Bay Oaks will be closed every Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. through December.

We are excited about this agreement that provides children who attend Beach Elementary a safe environment in the Bay Oaks gym for their physical Education classes. Because the Bay Oaks gym becomes an extension of the children's school for these classes, the same level of security as they would have in their school building must be provided, which requires closing to the public.

Public weight room hours

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 8 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Wednesday 2 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Saturday 8 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Public gym hours

Monday, Friday 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Monday – Friday 6 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Saturday Noon - 3 p.m.

9-11 remembrance ceremony planned at convention center in downtown Fort Myers

9-11 remembrance ceremony by Lee County will be Sept. 11 at 8:30 a.m. at Caloosa Convention Center downtown

Mound House weekly outdoor nature & education events for
September 2 through September 11

Mound House & Newton Beach Park program calendar
September 2021

Movie on the Mound: Raya and the Last Dragon on Sept. 17 as part of the FMB International Film Festival

fmbifilmfest.com

Bring a chair or blanket and insect repellent. Please, no coolers.

September schedule for the pop up environmental education booth

Managed by the Marine Resources Task Force

Fright Night at Bay Oaks is October 22

**Text PARKING to 239-FMBeach to get current status of available Town spaces**

The Town has 349 paid public parking spaces spread throughout the Downtown District and some of the 26 public beach accesses along Estero Boulevard.

The percentage of availability of the 349 public parking spaces is now tracked three times a day by the Beach and Street Enforcement (BASE) team, at 11 a.m., 2 p.m., and 5 p.m.
This is a pilot project to help visitors and others find parking.

Text PARKING to 239-FMBeach to access the information.
Also available on Town's website

Screenshot of current spaces available from www.fmbgov.com

Parking space availability section on the Town's website

Chemical waste collection days at Bay Oaks served 141 customers

Thanks to everyone who participated in the Town’s first full year of Household Chemical Waste Collection Days hosted by Lee County at Bay Oaks.

In total, 141 customers were served, and 7,023 pounds of waste was collected.

Events are already scheduled for the coming year, with the day of the week changing from Friday to Wednesday: November 17, 2021; February 16, 2022; May 18, 2022, and August 17, 2022. Time will be 8 a.m. to Noon.

Acceptable items

Lee County Commissioners make tolls permanently electronic for the Midpoint, Cape Coral and Sanibel Causeway bridges

Attendants will no longer be at the plaza booth, motorists do not need to stop

Lee County has used all-electronic tolling (no attendants) since the pandemic began in 2020. The Lee County Board of County Commissioners voted in June and August this year to make this permanent to:

Align with the State’s SunPass program and plazas elsewhere in Florida
Return to the same tollway fee structure that was in place before the pandemic
Adjust motorcyclists’ toll pricing to align with vehicles
Improve driver safety and traffic congestion

For information about this change, visit www.LeeWayinfo.com.

ATTENTION Beachfront property owners
Sea turtle lighting retrofitting might be covered by a grant

Turtle nests are still hatching!

Thanks for everything you are doing to keep the turtles and their hatchlings safe. Read more

Fort Myers Beach

Distance: 7 miles
Nests: 87
NNE*: 130
Nests Hatched: 23

*NNE stands for “Non Nesting Emergence” which means that the turtle crawled ashore, but did not nest

BEACHFRONT property owners might be able to get the costs of retrofitting lighting fixtures and bulbs that comply with sea turtle regulations paid for by The Sea Turtle Conservancy’s Beachfront Lighting Retrofit Program.

The Sea Turtle Conservancy is a non-profit research, conservation, and education organization in Florida. The Conservancy has received grant funding designated for the lighting retrofit program through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Gulf Environment Benefit Fund.

To learn more about the lighting grants and the program, call The Conservancy at (352) 373-6441 or visit: www.conserveturtles.org

About Little Estero Island Critical Wildlife Area

Located on the beach at the southern tip of Estero Island (FMB), the Little Estero Island Critical Wildlife Area (CWA) is one of only 15 such designated wildlife refuges in Florida. A favorite spot for birders, It is a significant nesting area for least terns, snowy plovers, willet, and black skimmers. It is also an important over-wintering area for at least 68 species of shore and wading birds and annually closed to trespassing April 1-August 31.

Enjoy Little Estero Island while following these simple rules to minimize impacts on the wildlife:

1. KEEP YOUR DISTANCE
When you see concentrations of birds, a good "rule of thumb" is to stay at least 500 feet away. Minimizing disturbance to concentrations of birds is the key to conserving them.

2. WALK AROUND
Do not intentionally force birds to fly. If you see birds on the beach, in the lagoon, or on a sandbar, always give them the right of way

3. KEEP PETS LEASHED
This is an ordinance with the Town of Fort Myers Beach. Dogs are permitted on Fort Myers Beach EXCEPT in the critical wildlife area, though they must be always leashed.

4. NEVER APPROACH A BIRD COLONY WITH YOUR DOG
One dog - on leash or off - can destroy a colony of ground-nesting birds within a matter of minutes.

5. PETS ARE NOT PERMITTED AT ANY TIME IN THE CRITICAL WILDLIFE AREA.

6. SUPPORT POSTING EFFORTS.
Honor closed areas marked by signs and encourage others to do the same.

7. SPREAD THE WORD.
If you see others disturbing wildlife, let them know about the effects of their actions. Many people don't realize that their actions may be harmful to wildlife.

If you see someone maliciously disturbing a bird colony, contact the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (888-404-FWCC)

Photograph from Carol A. Lis

Well-behaved, leashed dogs are welcome on
Fort Myers Beach, which is a great privilege!

Please help us respect this privilege by cleaning up after your pets, keeping them on a leash, and not letting them chase shorebirds, enter the critical wildlife area at the south end of the beach, or disturb sea turtle nests.

Community members interested in serving as volunteers to advise and support the work of Town government are encouraged to apply for current openings on three of the Town’s 10 advisory boards and committees.

The Town’s committees exist to advise Town Council about Bay Oaks Recreational Campus, Mooring Field, Mound House, Newton Beach Park, finances, marine resources, nuisance abatement, environmental and historic preservation, and public safety.

Openings:

Audit Committee – monitors audits, reviews financial statements prior to the completion of the audit, reviews the results of any audit, evaluates proposed corrective action and insures that corrective action is carried out, evaluates auditor performance
Historic Preservation Advisory Committee (HPAC) – assists the Local Planning Agency and the Historic Preservation Advisory Board with historic preservation matters
Local Planning Agency (LPA) - further the welfare of the citizens of town by helping to promote a better, more positive community environment and to ensure that the unique, natural characteristics of the island are preserved.

Click here for more information and to fill out the application.

The Town's online permitting service is called iWorQ and can be used to:

Search and view permits
View status
Download/ print approved documents
Pay fees
Schedule inspections

PERMIT SEARCH

If you are searching for record information or paying fees, you are not required to create an account.

AVAILABLE POSITIONS

Full Time:
BAY OAKS MAINTENANCE WORKER
BEACH MAINTENANCE WORKER
CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE - UTILITIES/BILLING
FINANCE DIRECTOR
SENIOR ACCOUNTANT

Part Time:
CODE COMPLIANCE BASE OFFICER
HARBOR MAINTENANCE WORKER (2 positions)
LIFEGUARD/RECREATION AID

Text Hi to 239-FMBeach for information about the Town

Town Council will hold its regular September meetings at 5:01 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 9, and Thursday, Sept. 16.

The change in the usual time is to comply with state law that requires municipality budget hearings to be held in the evening (200.065(2)(e)2 F.S.).

Part of the agendas for the September meetings is the Fiscal Year 2021-22 Budget.

Keep up on the schedule of Town Council and advisory committee meetings

All meetings are at Town Hall, 2525 Estero Boulevard

Live and recorded meetings can also be viewed on the
Town's YouTube channel and live meetings can be watched on Comcast Channel 98

View the meeting calendar on the Town's website for the

Upcoming meetings

Monday, September 6
Town Hall CLOSED in Observance of LABOR Day

Wednesday, September 8 / 3 p.m.
Marine Resources Task Force (MRTF) Meeting

Thursday, September 9 / 5:01 p.m.
Town Council Meeting

*Meetings are subject to change; please refer to the agendas posted on the Town's Website.

Town Hall is open for walk-in service from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Appointments are strongly encouraged to minimize wait times. Call 239-765-0202 to schedule an appointment with the appropriate department.

NOTE: All employees in Town Hall might not yet be fully vaccinated against COVID.

Status on bids and proposals

The Town of Fort Myers Beach has partnered with DemandStar which is open and accessible to all businesses and gives instant access to RFPs, RFQs, and ITBs

Read more about bids and proposals

Currently open for bid:
RFP-21-19-TC Fireworks Display
The Town of Fort Myers Beach invites proposal submissions from qualified firms to perform a 20-minute fireworks display for the Town of Fort Myers Beach.

Under Review:

ITB-21-18-PW Bayside Park Improvements.