Proposed annexation changes cause tension in Lee County

For years, land owners could seek annexation of land in unincorporated Lee County into other municipalities, and Lee County couldn’t do a thing about it.

But now, the Lee County Charter Review Commission is considering a plan to change that, as Lee County is growing fast.

Experts predict one million people will call Lee County home by 2040, so who will manage that growth? Who will decide where to build homes and apartment complexes and for how many people?

Currently, it’s the municipalities like Fort Myers, Cape Coral and Estero.

“Home rule is important for the county. It’s important for each city,” said Village of Estero Mayor Jon McClain.

McClain said the people of Estero should manage its growth. For example, development and traffic.

“We can deal with those problems better than somebody up above, and taking away our abilities to manage those day-to-day affairs is not to the betterment of our entire area,” McClain said.

Therefore, he opposes a proposed change to the Lee County charter that would give Lee County the final say on any land a village like Estero or a city like Fort Myers or Cape Coral might want to annex.

If a land owner in unincorporated Lee County wants to build houses, they can approach a nearby municipality and ask that municipality to annex their property.

They do so so the city can extend utilities and infrastructure and quite possibly negotiate a better deal than they might get from Lee County.

Right now, Lee County can do nothing about it. Lee County’s charter review commission could put the issue on the ballot as soon as next year.

“We’ve heard from, you know, special fire districts and other special districts in support, and we’ve heard universally from every single municipality opposition to that issue,” said Andrew Sund, vice chair of the Charter Review Commission.