Mike Greenwell’s plans as newest Lee County commissioner

Former Boston Red Sox outfielder Mike Greenwell will take a swing at public service after being sworn in as a Lee County commissioner on Tuesday, and he says water quality and housing are two big priorities for him.

In July, Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Greenwell to replace the late Commissioner Frank Mann on the Lee County Board of Commissioners. He will serve District Five.

When WINK News asked Greenwell what specific changes he wants to make in Lee County, he said he doesn’t necessarily want to make major changes. Instead, he says his goals for the county’s future are to help improve things more generally.

“We have some issues that we would like to really get involved with,” Greenwell said. “Me, personally, growing up in the Caloosahatchee River, skiing, swimming, fishing, that’s very, very important to me: water, water quality. So, how can we improve that? There are some small projects or some large projects that the county can get involved in to help that along. We can’t just rely on the state to do it, we need to do it countywide.”

Greenwell says another major concern is housing, as we see more and more people moving to Southwest Florida. He says he has lived in Southwest Florida since he was 5 years old and wants to make sure that, once he’s a commissioner, he meets the needs of people throughout the county.

“Representing a district that I’ve spent 32 years in, I think that’s important, that you live in the district that you’re representing,” Greenwell said. “Also, I just feel like having a voice throughout the whole county, not just in your district, is important. I’m fortunate enough to be here long enough to really see the changes. We made a lot of them in a really positive way, and some of them we could have done better.”

The Lee County Board of Commissioners honored the late Mann by officially renaming a Lehigh Acres preserve after him during its Tuesday meeting. Greenwell was sworn in at that same meeting.