Fort Myers Beach residents oppose merge with Bonita Springs Fire

After Hurricane Ian, the Fort Myers Beach Fire worked hard to get back up and running. While there’s still work to do, there’s another hurdle to get over.

State Representative Adam Botana wants Fort Myers Beach Fire to merge with Bonita Springs Fire.

“It goes to show how out of touch this particular individual is with our community,” a Fort Myers Beach Fire District board member said.

“It just makes no sense,” another board member said.

Bonita fire chief Greg Dewitt said the firefighters have valid concerns with the proposal too. He’s got lots of questions.

“What happens to pay, what happens to pensions, what happens to labor contracts, what happens to these different things that they’ve fought for over the years or negotiated for over the years? So again, the devils in the details,” he said.

To get to those details, both fire chiefs want a study done to prove a merger would actually save money. That’s why State Representative, Adam Botana, called for the merger.

When WINK News called his office for a reaction, his assistant said he would pass along the request. So far, no response.

“It’s not broken, so don’t fix it. So anyway, we haven’t had any input. The constituents here haven’t been asked what they feel about it,” said Chuck Bodenhafer, Fort Myers Beach resident.