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July 6, 2022 / Issue #2022-27
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July 4th was a celebratory day in Fort Myers Beach with the parade in the morning and the fireworks at night!
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Special thanks to the parade’s Grand Marshalls Patrick McKeown, Jan Fleming and Janeen Paulauskis who are the Town's Citizens of Distinction from 2021 and 2022. They rode on the Town float that was created by the Utilities Department. Thanks to everyone who participated in the parade and came to watch! Shoutout to the staff who worked hard before, during and after to pull everything together for the festivities, including the Culture, Parks and Recreation, Utilities, and Public Works Departments.
Visit the Town's Facebook page for additional pictures.
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New parking spaces The under construction Margaritaville resort has turned over 22 new public parking spaces which were unveiled in time for the busy July 4th weekend.
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These spots are located next to the newly-named beach access "Waistina Way". Town Council chose the name from a list of more than 100 names provided by community members.
These new spots bring the Town's total paid public parking spaces to 400, which does not include commercial lots.
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Looking for a parking space in the Town? Text PARKING to 239-FMBeach
This will lead you to information about available Town-operated spaces. Availability is updated three times a day by the Beach and Street Enforcement (BASE) team.
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Florida Power & Light will be trimming trees and vegetation in the areas marked in red on the below map in the coming weeks.
This work will be performed by Lewis Tree Service, a qualified line-clearing contractor.
For neighborhood trimming, residents will be notified in advance of any associated work occurring on their properties.
Trees and vegetation are a leading cause of outages, especially during hurricanes and severe weather.
Visit fpl.com/trees to learn more about power line safety and the line-clearing program.
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Hurricane season has started
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Reminder It's sea turtle nesting season Make sure blinds are closed at dusk and lights are not visible from the beach. Light can disorient turtles from nesting on the beach and hatchlings from travelling the correct direction toward the water.
Learn more: www.turtletime.org Visit the sea turtle section on the Town's website
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Fort Myers Beach
Distance: 7 miles
Nests: 95 NNE*: 136 Nests Hatched:
*NNE stands for Non Nesting Emergence which means that the turtle crawled ashore but did not nest. Bonita Beach (2 miles long) has 240 nests
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PLEASE DO NOT USE FLASHLIGHTS OR PHONE LIGHTS ON THE BEACH
During the nightly patrols that Town staff have been conducting to monitor sea turtle nesting regulations, dozens of white flashlights and phone lights have been observed. These lights disorient nesting sea turtles and their hatchlings.
Town staff have been distributing long wavelength flashlights to beachgoers provided by the Marine and Environmental Resources Task Force (MERTF) to educate about the lights that are permissible.
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 Long wavelength flashlight for beach at night
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Thanks for recycling FMB! Lee County Solid Waste has announced that the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) has named Lee County Solid Waste Florida’s top recycling county for 2021.
The amount of material Lee County residents recycled in 2021 would be enough to fill 168 football fields with material 70 feet high – as high as the highest point on the Sanibel Causeway. Lee County received credit for recycling 1.6 million tons of the total 2.61 million tons of waste generated locally, according to numbers that FDEP recently released. This brings the county’s recycling rate to 81%. This is the sixth time Lee County has led the state in recycling since Florida began tracking in 2000. Strong participation by both residents and businesses has enabled Lee County to meet and exceed the state’s 75% recycling goal every year since 2017. FDEP recycling credits are acquired for items such as curbside recycling by residents as well as business recycling of materials such as cardboard, yard waste, scrap metal and construction and demolition debris.
Lee County also receives recycling credit for energy produced from garbage processed at the Waste-to-Energy plant in Buckingham. Visit www.leegov.com/solidwaste for more information.
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WARNINGHave you seen a toad that looks like this? Keep your pets away! Please be aware that cane toads are invasive to our area and poisonous. They can be deadly if your pet bites or ingests them. Euthanizing the toad humanely is permitted.
Learn more
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New plants along Estero Boulevard are starting to grow and bloom A few months ago, these plants – Perennial Peanut and Mimosa – were put in along Estero Boulevard from the Red Coconut to Publix. These plantings followed the completion of the long-term improvement project for the road, sidewalks, water and stormwater structures.
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 Perennial Peanut
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Please help us keep them growing by not putting trash cans on top of them, or fertilizing them, or using something to kill weeds. Sometimes the plants themselves might look like weeds, but they are not.
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 Mimosa
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 The Public Works Department tends to these areas.
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Inappropriate fertilization of your property greatly affects neighboring areas.
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Lee County is evaluating internet and broadband service and needs your help
In cooperation with the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity’s Office of Broadband, Lee County is asking residents and visitors to take an internet speed test and a broadband survey to help evaluate current capabilities and determine areas in need of added service.
The results of tests taken throughout Lee County will further develop Florida’s Broadband Availability Map which will display areas in need of additional broadband service.
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IMPORTANT information from Lee County Utilities(The Town’s water comes from Lee County)
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Lee County Utilities will be temporarily converting its disinfectant process from chloramines to free chlorine residual from July 1 through July 21, 2022.
This is a routine measure that is typical for water utilities using chloramines as its primary disinfectant.
Anyone who uses a kidney dialysis machine at home should contact his or her equipment supplier so the proper filtering equipment may be installed.
Tropical fish or aquatic animal owners should contact a local tropical fish store for appropriate pretreatment of water before adding water to tanks.
Customers may notice a temporary change in the taste, odor, and color of the water, which is not harmful.
This is a routine measure to ensure customers have clean, safe, potable water. Questions? Contact the Lee County Utilities Office during regular business hours 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 239-533-8845
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Weekly Events July 7, through July 16
July Events
July 2022 Calendar
Summer lecture series to feature Latino history, birds, bugs and butterflies
The iconic Mound House, one of Southwest Florida’s most-beloved historic attractions that traces its roots to the ancient Calusa of over 2,000 years ago, is inaugurating a new Summer Lecture Series. The series is for adults only with a wine and refreshments reception at 5:30 p.m. and the lectures from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Due to limited seating, advance registrations are necessary by the Monday before each lecture. Make reservations by calling 239-765-0865. Cost is $7 for Mound House members and $12 for non-members.
July 12 Reservations due by July 11 Adam Knight, Mound House Museum Educator Rancho Reality: Latino History at the Mound House
August 9 Reservations due by August 8 Bobby Feldman, Mound House Curator of Education The Creatures of the Mound House: From Birds to Bugs
September 13 Reservations due by September 12 Yvette Carrasco, Environmental Educator Butterflies by the Bay
www.moundhouse.org
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Exploring Mexico's Archaeology, Birds, and Butterflies
Tuesday, July 26, 5:30pm Mound House 451 Connecticut Street Penny Jarrett, guest speaker, will talk about an amazing trip Mound House is offering in conjunction with Holbrook Travel.
Reservations are required Cost is $7 for members and $12 for non-members
Make reservations by calling 239-765-0865.
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You are invited to this lecture that is in anticipation of a future trip to Mexico visiting these places: Merida, Mayapan, Zocalo, Geohydrologic, Celestun, Michoacán.
A full itinerary for the trip will be available very soon, but here's a glimpse: Did you know that beyond the tourist resorts of Mexico awaits a fascinating world of history, archaeology, culture, and natural wonders? Our trip to Mexico starts in Merida, the Capital of the Yucatan, which is a city culturally rich with both Mayan and colonial heritage. While in the Yucatan we will visit the Mayan sites of Uxmal, a UNESCO Heritage Site, and Mayapan, an important city during the final centuries of the Maya civilization.
The geology of the Yucatan is unique and a visit to the Geohydrologic Anillo de Cenotes will provide an opportunity to see sinkholes created from a meteor impact 65 million years ago and take a refreshing swim. A must-do while in the Yucatan, and on our itinerary, is visiting the Celestun Biosphere Reserve, which encompasses 146,000 acres, and is home to 304 bird species including thousands of flamingos.
Boat rides and walking trails will offer splendid views at various times of the day.
From Merida, we will fly to Mexico City and spend a couple of days visiting the archaelogical sites of Teotihuacan and Tenochtitlan, National Museum of Anthropology, and UNAM Botanical Garden while staying in the popular district of Zocalo.
Traveling west into the central highlands of Michoacan, we will have the opportunity to witness one of nature’s amazing wonders – the wintering grounds of the monarch butterfly where millions of these butterflies arrive from across the eastern United States and Canada.
Traveling back to Mexico City, it will be time to return home with abundant memories and photographs sure to last a lifetime.
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Environmental education pop-up booth hosted by the Marine and Environmental Resources Task Force
Representatives from the Town's Marine and Environmental Resources Task Force (MERTF) are hosting a pop-up educational booth at various locations around Town throughout the month.
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Community members interested in serving as volunteers to advise and support the work of Town government are encouraged to apply for current openings on the Town's advisory boards and committees. The Town’s boards and committees exist to advise Town Council about Bay Oaks Recreational Campus, the Matanzas Pass Mooring Field, Mound House, Newton Beach Park, finances, island preservation and history, marine resources, anchorage, nuisance abatement, and public safety.
Available openings: Bay Oaks Recreational Campus Advisory Board (BORCAB) (1)Historic Preservation Advisory Committee (HPAC) (1) Local Planning Agency (LPA) (1)Public Safety Committee (PSC) (2)
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ATTENTION BUILDING CONTRACTORS
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Effective June 21, 2022: All new application submittals must be done through the Request Portal. Any new applications sent to buildingpermits@fmbgov.com will be returned.
Effective June 21, 2022: All inspections will need to be requested through the Permit Portal. If you need your access code, please email inspections@fmbgov.com
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Effective September 22, 2022, all contractors registered with the Town MUST be a licensed contractor through the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR). Contractors licensed through the Lee County Contractor Licensing Board will not be allowed to register with the Town or apply for building permits.
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Keep up on the schedule of Town Council and advisory committee meetingsAll 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 websiteUpcoming meetings Wednesday, July 13 / 2 p.m. Marine and Environmental Resources Task Force (MERTF)
Tuesday, July 19 / 9:00 a.m. Public Safety Committee (PSC)
Thursday, July 28 / 3:00 p.m. Cultural and Environmental Learning Center Advisory Board (CELCAB)
*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.
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Status of 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-22-21- FN Financial Auditing Services The Town of Fort Myers Beach invites proposal submissions from a Professional Certified Public Accounting firm to provide auditing of financial statements for the fiscal year ending September 20, 2022, and the auditing of its financial statements for each of the two (2) subsequent fiscal years for the Town of Fort Myers Beach.
Currently under review:There are no bid opportunities currently under review.
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