Residents push to make Lehigh Acres a city

LEHIGH ACRES, Fla.- Residents in Lehigh Acres are once again looking into becoming a city.

With the population now over 100,000 people, community leaders say it’s time for change.

Members of a community council are acting as a voice for Lehigh Acres.

“In order for a community to grow, we have to become incorporated,” said Momahed Yasin.

Yasin is the president of the Lehigh Acres Community Council.

He says for too long Lehigh Acres hasn’t been a priority for anyone in Lee County government.

“Lehigh has been put at the bottom of the list because we have never had a say. We don’t have anybody representing us at the county government,” said Yasin.

That’s why he and other community council members are in the process of creating a 40-seat committee that will look into incorporation.

This isn’t the first time topic has come up, but there’s one thing that Yasin believes makes this time different.

“Today, with 119,000 people and counting, it’s a grave need.”

But first, the idea has to be sold to the community. To some people it’s an easy pitch, while others will need a lot of convincing.

“Taxes automatically go up and then you get rules and regulations from whoever’s in charge,” said one resident.

The community council meets every month and they hope to finalize this committee in the coming weeks.