Regular Meeting: Tomorrow, November 2nd

City Council  ·  Monday, November 2  ·  4 PM

This Council's last regular meeting: Costco, Four Freedoms Park, and the North 3 reset.

The day before the election, the outgoing Council takes up a $10 million incentive package for Costco, a resolution declining the historic nomination of Four Freedoms Park, repeal of the North 3 assessments, and the final FY 2026 budget amendment. The FCC trash franchise is introduced, with its hearing set for November 18. The CRA meets first, at 3 PM.

What's on the agenda

Costco: up to $10 million, most of it paid back from the store's own taxes

Costco holds a May 15, 2026 contract to buy about 20.31 acres at 600 Chiquita Boulevard South from Chiquita Land LLC. Economic development staff say the city began reaching out to the company in 2024, a local commercial broker brought the site forward, and talks have run since February. The agreement describes a warehouse store that may include a pharmacy, tire center, fueling station and car wash.

The package has three money pieces. An Enhanced Property Value Recapture Grant returns 95 percent of the new city property taxes the project pays above a 2026 base taxable value of $1,486,990, for up to 25 years, capped at $8 million. Impact fees up to $1.8 million, not counting utility fees, are reimbursed from economic development reserves once Costco receives its certificate of occupancy, which staff expect in FY 2028. Utility impact fees up to $200,000 are deferred four years. Rebate payments would start in FY 2029 or FY 2030. Separately, the city agrees to pay for drainage improvements serving the single-family lots along the western edge of the existing pond; the agenda item puts no dollar figure on that work.

The conditions: Costco must start construction within 180 days of receiving all permits, a clock that waits on any required city work and right-of-way vacations, and must open within 365 days of starting. Missing either deadline forfeits the tax rebate, with the usual extensions for events beyond its control. The rebate covers only city-levied taxes, not county, school district or special district taxes. Because it sits on the consent agenda, it passes in a single vote unless a member pulls it for discussion.

Four Freedoms Park: Council decides on the historic nomination

On October 21 the city manager said a pending request to designate Four Freedoms Park historic does not pause Bimini East and that Council would decide on the nomination. Monday is that decision. Resolution 314-26 would decline to accept the nomination of the park, at 4818 Tarpon Court, as a historic or cultural resource under the city code. Hearing signs went up October 16. The agenda request form in the packet carries no staff recommendation, no analysis and no preparer's name, and the packet does not say who filed the nomination. It is a public hearing, so residents can speak.

For context: Ordinance 55-26, adopted 6 to 1 on October 21, includes a lease of the park for the Bimini East project, whose marina needs access through part of it. The city manager said the VPK program will take no new enrollments until a replacement site is found.

North 3: the final hearing becomes a repeal

Three consent items rescind Resolutions 243-26, 244-26 and 245-26, the initial assessment resolutions for North 3 potable water, wastewater and irrigation adopted September 28, and cancel the hearings scheduled under them. That follows the October 14 Committee of the Whole, where a majority chose to drop Alternative 5, redesign the major roads to a typical cross section and rebid. Staff estimated the redesign at about $3 million and roughly 12 months. Resolution 316-26 formally ratifies that direction. A new assessment, with new numbers, comes back to a future Council.

Trash: FCC's franchise is introduced; the hearing comes after the election

Ordinance 64-26 would approve the ranking, award the contract to FCC Environmental Services Florida and approve a 10-year exclusive franchise beginning October 1, 2027, when the Waste Pro contract ends, with one optional five-year renewal. Staff put the first-year residential cost at $21,876,000, paid from the Solid Waste Fund. The program now serves about 98,500 residential units and 2,511 commercial and large multifamily accounts, up from about 59,414 households when Waste Pro started in 2010. Monday is only the introduction; the public hearing is set for November 18.

The last FY 2026 budget amendment: $14.59 million

Ordinance 58-26 is the fourth and final amendment to the fiscal year that ended September 30. It raises the FY 2026 budget by $14,588,629, or 0.92 percent, to $1,602,180,306. About $4.2 million covers items Council already approved; $10.4 million is staff adjustments and year-end closeout. The notable lines: $3 million more for police personnel, funded by extra public service tax and interest earnings, and $1 million more for fire overtime. Road impact fees came in $1,831,249 short, offset in part by $750,000 from the new multimodal mobility fees. About $2.28 million in interest earnings goes to land and a parking lot at the city's Santa Barbara Boulevard buildings. The Lake Kennedy Racquet Center gets a $655,000 General Fund transfer to cover expenses and a revenue shortfall. A $6.5 million state water supply grant replaces the same amount of borrowing for North 1 East reclaimed water. Staffing rises by seven positions, five of them grant-funded police officers, to 2,447.26 full-time equivalents.

The Record  ·  October 21 Final Action Summary

The official record is in. Every vote we reported stands, and now we know who was out of the room.

Last week we reported the October 21 votes from the meeting transcript and promised to correct anything the city's Final Action Summary changed. The summary and the draft minutes in Monday's packet confirm every result in our scorecard. They also answer the question we could not. On the 7 to 0 hospital vote, Councilmember Long had left the dais at 7:48 PM; he returned at 8:01. On the 6 to 1 Bimini East vote, Councilmember Kaduk had left at 9:31 PM; she returned at 9:36, before the feather banner vote. The Yacht Club reversal came on a motion to reconsider by Councilmember Lehmann, seconded by Mayor Gunter; Lehmann had voted no on the first 4 to 4 tally.

Two consent items we did not report: Resolution 307-26 approved a $200,000 settlement paid to the city for damage to city infrastructure, and Resolution 263-26 amended the Local Housing Assistance Plan. The summary counts 42 speakers at citizens input. One clarification: Resolution 280-26, which we listed as Festival Park user fees, formally ratifies Council's September 9 Committee of the Whole direction; the discussion was about keeping the Festival Park fee schedule unchanged.

Planning & Zoning  ·  Wednesday, November 4  ·  9 AM

Five rule changes the day after the election, four of them aimed at faster permits.

Protected species paperwork. Ordinances 60-26 and 61-26 replace the signed protected-species affidavit for burrowing owls and gopher tortoises with an electronic acknowledgement of the same information. The visual survey, city database review and state permit disclosure stay in place. Ordinance 61-26 also raises the maximum fine to $3,000 from $500 and removes jail as a penalty. Utility easements. Ordinance 56-26 drops the requirement to sign and record a hold-harmless agreement before placing permitted items such as stairs or decks in a public utility easement; owners remain responsible for removal costs. Construction trailers. Ordinance 59-26 removes the code's water, sewer and electrical connection requirements for temporary construction trailers.

Heavy vehicle rentals. Ordinance 62-26, which Council initiated September 2, would allow sales and rental of vehicles over 10,000 pounds in the Commercial District as a special exception. Sites would need at least 250 feet of depth, access from a major street where practical, and rental vehicles kept in striped spaces on the approved site plan. Staff lists noise, headlights and appearance near homes as the downside, to be handled through the special exception hearing. Council hearings are tentatively December 9 and January 13. The next P&Z meeting is December 2.

The Weeks Ahead

Election week, then the new Council on the 18th.

Mon, Nov 2. CRA at 3 PM, City Council at 4 PM, Council Chambers, 1015 Cultural Park Blvd.

Tue, Nov 3. General election. Mayor and Council Districts 1, 4 and 6 are on the ballot, four of eight seats, along with the statewide property tax amendment. Certified results come from the Lee County Supervisor of Elections.

Wed, Nov 4, 9 AM: Planning and Zoning. Thu, Nov 5, 2 PM: Jaycee Park concession proposals due. Sat, Nov 7: Councilmember Lehmann's town hall is cancelled; the next is in December. Tue, Nov 17, 9 AM: Hearing Examiner.

Wed, Nov 18, 4 PM. Regular Council meeting, where the new Council is expected to be seated and the FCC franchise hearing is scheduled. Still open from last week: the city manager's posted responses to the state DOGE recommendations, which he said would come by the end of October, and the Hearing Examiner's written order on SW 32nd Place. We will report both when they are on the record.