Lee County secures more than $90 million in state budget for local projects, programs.

Editor's note: a previous version of the story included the Lee Waterline Replacement Phase as a Lee County project, it is a Madison County project. Additionally, the SR 82 Traffic Safety Improvements is not a County request or a Lee County DOT project; it is FDOT.

Florida lawmakers approved a budget with over $90 million in funding for projects, including repairing roads, building fire stations, training doctors and improving water quality, from one end of Lee County to the other.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has yet to approve or veto appropriated items, which include investments in improving water and sewer, money for recovering from Hurricane Ian, education, and addressing traffic.

Lawmakers approved a $117 billion state budget on March 8, as this year's Legislative session ended.

In a statement, Senate President Kathleen Passidomo said representing the people and communities of Southwest Florida in the House, Senate, and now as Senate president has been the "professional honor of a lifetime." Her district includes Collier County, Hendry County, and a portion of Lee County.

"As I often say, although I am away from my home in Naples for weeks at a time, there is so much I have been able to do to represent my constituents in Tallahassee," she said. "Through investments of funding provided by the state of Florida, our local communities are partnering with the state on key infrastructure solutions that create local jobs, improve our quality of life and ensure the safety of our residents through enhancements to our clean water and transportation infrastructure. These funds also foster partnerships and support local organizations that offer critical services to our youth and our seniors."

Rep. Adam Botana, a Bonita Springs Republican, said the House and the Senate understand the area is still recovering from Ian, noting the more than$17.4 million of revenue replacement for Fort Myers Beach and Sanibel.

"It's on the forefront of what the state sees," Botanan said. "Fort Myers Beach Sanibel, Bonita, we took the largest hurricane to hit the most densely populated area ever."

Rep. Mike Giallombardo, a Cape Coral Republican, echoes these sentiments after receiving $9 million towards expanding the Cape Coral Emergency Operations Center.

"Cape Coral Fire Chief Ryan Lamb says the expansion will improve areas of the current EOC, making it capable of withstanding a Category 5 hurricane, and notes the improvements will also increase efficiency and effectiveness as it relates to disaster preparedness activities, inter-agency coordination, managing disaster response and recovery services, among other benefits," Giallombardo wrote in a statement.

Reps. Jenna Persons-Mulicka, a Fort Myers Republican, said she requested appropriation for investments that would make generational local impacts, expedite infrastructure projects, and help our most vulnerable.

These include money for critical infrastructure such as Fort Myers Fire Station 18 to frontage acquisition, which is near Centennial Park, that will expand the public riverfront downtown.

Here's a list of the individual items that made it on the proposed budget in Lee County:

Related Collier County secures more than $86.5 million in state budget for local projects, programs

More Tallahassee, capital region economy could get $200 million boost from state budget

Lee County:

• Lee Health Graduate Medical Education Center: $5 million: The center will expand Lee Health's medical education programs to train up to 132 physician residents annually, and is meant to increase the number of residency opportunities in Florida.

• Lee County - Permanent Repairs Little Pine Island Bridge: $1.2 million: The funds will replace the Little Pine Island Bridge and provide for resiliency features suggested by FDOT's Design Build team.

FDOT:

• SR 82 Traffic Safety Improvements: $2,673,775: Construction of multiple turn lanes and a traffic signal at the intersection of SR 82, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Benchmark Avenue, to alleviate safety concerns and traffic flow.

Fort Myers:

• Fort Myers Technical College - East Annex / Pre-Construction Phase: $2.5 million: The funds would be used for architectural/design services, engineering plans, and other costs associated with pre-construction to build an annex campus for Fort Myers Technical College in East Lee County.

• City of Fort Myers - Frontage Acquisition: $5,034,927: The acquisition of this parcel, near Centennial Park and Edison Sailing Center, would allow for ease of aquatic and land recreation adjacent to the Caloosahatchee River.

• YMCA of Fort Myers Facility Hardening & Improvements Project: $500,000: The funds would fortify facility resilience, focusing on storm protection through a new roof and improved structural elements, upgraded facilities, and grounds.

• Fort Myers Fire Station 18: $1.5 milloin: Designed to fill an emergency response deficit within the jurisdiction, this facility would decrease corridor response times by as much as 50%.

Fort Myers Beach:

• Fort Myers Beach - Town Hall Replacement: $8 million: The project would quickly re-establish a venue for town government, with a time frame of less than 8 months versus a 3-4 year build-out.

• Fort Myers Beach - Revenue Loss: $7,547,805: The town’s revenue has plummeted by 42.4% after Hurricane Ian, so the town is requesting state funding to replace property tax revenue, which would support the town's ability to sustain operations and rebuild.

Cape Coral:

• Cape Coral Technical College - Phase II (Campus Construction): $2.1 million: Design work is currently underway, and the funds would help overcome construction cost escalations resulting from the impacts of Hurricane Ian. Programs planned for the expanded campus (two additional buildings) include Auto Service Technology, Marine Service Technologies, HVAC-R, Welding Technology, Building Trades, and Nursing.

• Cape Coral Northeast Reservoir Water Transmission Main and Regional Water Supply Project: $4 million: A regional water supply project that will transfer up to 1.44 billion gallons of water stored in a reservoir in Charlotte County to Cape Coral's freshwater canal system each year for fire suppression and lawn irrigation.

• Cape Coral Emergency Operations Center Expansion: $9 million: As one of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas, Cape Coral requires funding for an expanded Emergency Operations Center to serve the city's population of more than 200,000 residents.

Bonita Springs:

• City of Bonita Springs - Rosemary Drive Stormwater Drainage and Pedestrian Safety Improvement Project: $1.4 million: Reconstruction of Rosemary Drive, which lies in a low- to moderate-income neighborhood, for drainage improvements and pedestrian safety improvements; including construction of an 8-foot wide multi-use pathway on the north side of the road and a 10-foot wide multi-use pathway on the south side of the road, reconstruction of existing roadbed, and installation of landscaping on both sides of the roadway.

• Bonita Beach Road at US 41 Intersection Improvements: $5.5 million: Implement intersection improvement defined by an ongoing project development study to improve mobility, safety, and emergency evacuation.

• Bonita Beach Road Improvements - Vanderbilt Road to Hickory Drive: $2 million: Enhance safety along Bonita Beach Road, by resurfacing pavement, improving bicycle/pedestrian facilities, and adding beautification.

• City of Bonita Springs - Goodwin Street Stormwater Drainage and Pedestrian Safety Improvement Project: $1.3 million: Improvements include acquisition of additional right of way for an 8-foot wide multi-use pathway, bridge replacement, reconstruction in expanded right of way to enable the construction of new drainage infrastructure, sidewalks, landscaping, and irrigation.

Estero:

• Estero - River Oaks Preserve Improvements: $2.5 million: Construct a storage building, trails, and pedestrian bridge; extend water, sewer, and reclaimed water to the River Oaks Preserve to improve community access to the property.

• Estero Septic To Sewer Project Phase 2: $4.6 million: Extend municipal sewer services and remove the existing septic tanks and package treatment plants to eliminate a source of bacteria and nutrients to the Estero River and Estero Bay.

• Estero - Broadway Avenue West Improvements Design: $300,000: Analyze, design, and permit drainage, roadway, and pedestrian improvements along Broadway Avenue, west.

• Estero - Broadway Avenue West Improvements Design: $1 million: Reduce flooding and improve roadway and pedestrian safety through the only area of the Village identified as low- to moderate- income by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. This area was also heavily impacted by Hurricane Ian.

Sanibel:

• Sanibel - Replace Dune Walkovers From Hurricane Ian: $2 million: Public access to Sanibel’s beaches is provided through 20 dune walkovers. All the dune walkovers were destroyed by Hurricane Ian, requiring approximately 3,200 linear feet of boardwalk (walkover) to be constructed. Dune walkovers provide safe public and ADA access to the beach and to mitigate pedestrian damage to sensitive dune vegetation.

• Sanibel - East Periwinkle Way Bridge Reconstruction Hurricane Ian: $2,500,000: To construct a resilient bridge on East Periwinkle Way, which is an arterial road to the island's east end and a critical evacuation route.

• Sanibel - Road Reconstruction Hurricane Ian: $1 million: Hurricane Ian's 8-foot to more than 12-foot storm surge harmed the city's paved roadway system in the form of cracking, settling, and accelerated deterioration, so the funds will be used to repave, and possibly elevate, Sanibel's vulnerable arterial and collector roads.

• Sanibel - Fire Station 172 Reconstruction - Post-Hurricane Ian: $2.2 million: The fund will cover the remaining unfunded liability for the rebuild of Sanibel Fire Station 172. This station suffered devastating damage from Hurricane Ian, with 5 to 6 feet of storm surge.

• Sanibel - Operating Revenue Recovery Hurricane Ian: $9.92 million: The city requests funds to replace lost revenue across major funds. Hurricane Ian caused more than $50 million in property loss, resulting in a 34% reduction in taxable property values.

Lehigh Acres:

• Florida Governmental Utility Authority - Lehigh Acres Utility System Water Main Extensions: $1,294,118: Extend potable water mains in the Lehigh Acres Utility System to improve water flow and reliability, especially in the south section of Lehigh Acres for current residents and commercial properties and to accommodate potential future growth.

• Lehigh Acres - ROBUST - Rehydration of Bedman Creek Utilizing Storage & Treatment Phase 2: $1.5 million: In ROBUST Phase I, LA-MSID successfully obtained a 2023 appropriation to buy 15-acres. Phase II will design and construct the excavation & submergence to create a littoral shelf to provide water quality during the wet months. The adjacent floodplain will provide storage and additional water quality. New water control structures will regulate flows downstream on Bedman Creek and additional high flows will be diverted to Carlos Waterway, owned by LA-MSID.

• Lehigh Acres Municipal Services Improvement District - Natural Sinkhole Preservation Project Phase II: $2 million: Lehigh Acres Sinkhole Phase I, LA-MSID obtained a 2023 appropriation to purchase the 19-acre sinkhole parcel. Phase II will remove exotics, design, and build security and public access improvements. The funding will also prioritize the purchase of an additional 1.3-acre parcel with an existing building for an interpretive center.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Ian recovery, infrastructure priority in state budget for Lee County