Public participation meetings for federal disaster recovery funds planned throughout Lee County (but not here)
Resident participation meetings throughout unincorporated Lee County and in municipalities are planned in August to receive public comment and input on the Draft Action Plan for the $1.1 billion Community Development Block Grant – disaster recovery funds received from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The Draft Action Plan will be published at leegov.com/recovery/cdbg-dr for review and comment from August 1 through August 31. Comments can be emailed to recovery@leegov.com, mailed to Lee County Administration in care of the Office of Strategic Resources, 2115 Second St., Fort Myers, Fl, 33901, or provided during one of the public meetings.
CDBG-DR funds may be spent on a limited number of eligible activities related to impacts from Hurricane Ian that include housing, infrastructure, economic revitalization, public services and planning. At least 70 percent of the grant must be used for projects that benefit low-to-moderate-income households, which HUD defines as a family at or below 80 percent of the area’s median income. For example, in Lee County a single-person household would qualify at $47,700 or less per year, whereas the limit for total household income is $68,100 per year for a family of four.
The Lee Board of County Commissioners at a regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday, Aug. 1, is expected to vote to approve the Draft CDBG-DR Action Plan publication for the public comment period, which begins with these resident participation meetings spanning August 2 through August 29. After public input has been received, Lee County will submit the Action Plan to HUD for review and approval.
Lee County representatives said no meeting had been set for the island, but that Gasparilla Island residents are more than welcome to any of the nine meetings in mainland Lee County. The closest locations to us are:
· 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 2
Bonita Springs City Council
9101 Bonita Beach Road Bonita Springs
· 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 3
Cape Coral City Council
1015 Cultural Park Blvd., Cape Coral
The CDBG-DR webpage will continue to serve as an informational resource for CDBG-DR activities. Interested parties are encouraged to visit leegov.com/recovery/cdbg-dr for updates.
Lee County’s Office of Strategic Resources and Government Affairs has prepared a timeline describing the necessary steps and other information at leegov.com/recovery/cdbg-dr. This webpage will continue to serve as an informational resource for CDBG-DR activities. Interested parties are encouraged to visit this resource periodically for updates.
The Lee Board of County Commissioners received a staff update and presentation June 27. To view the meeting video, visit the county’s YouTube channel, youtube.com/@LeeCountyFLBOCC/videos and search for the date. The agenda and presentation can also be found online at leegov.com/bocc/meetings/agendas.
