Update from Lee County on Boca Grande recovery
During its regular meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 15, the Board of Lee County Commissioners included various updates on Boca Grande Milton recovery, including sand screening and permitting.
Lee Director of Solid Waste Douglass Whitehead gave an update on debris collection, which started for Hurricane Milton on Monday, Oct. 14. By Tuesday’s meeting they had collected 4,018 cubic yards of material collection, Whitehead said. Among the list of priority places he listed was Boca Grande, “once there’s access.”
Sand screening is a particular issue with this storm, he added.
“Our focus areas are Boca Grande and Lover’s Key,” he said. “We have two screeners expected to arrivetomorrow, one for Boca Grande and one for Lovers Key. We just received permission from the Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority to drive the 122,000-pound unit across the bridge this morning, so that will be going across the bridge tomorrow [Wednesday] afternoon at their request.”
Nathan Beals, Lee senior manager for Public Utilities said that Boca Grande expected to be able to turn on around 15-20 percent of customers to water on Tuesday.
Lee Director of Community Development Mikki Rozdolski told the commissioners that they would be opening a temporary remote permit office on Pine Island starting on Wednesday, Oct. 16. Commissioner Brian Hamman asked about a plan for remote office for Boca Grande. Rozdolski spoke to the possibility: “Prior to Hurricane Milton we had plans to start a remote office up on Boca Grande for Helene,” she said, “and as soon as we have a facility up and connected to the network, we will be having a remote permit office up there as well.”
Lee Director of Facilities Construction and Management Ehab Guirguis shared some water mark measurements from the first day after Milton. There was up to 4 inches of water in The Island School and up to 33 inches in the Crowninshield House. They are working closely with Friends of Boca Grande, Guirguis added.
To watch the entire recorded meeting visit youtube.com/@LeeCounty-FLBOCC.
