LEE COUNTY, Fla. — Lee County commissioners voted Tuesday to form a Boca Grande parking committee with new rules intended to broaden representation and fairness.
The committee will review the controversial ordinance passed in August that removed public parking on the island from 1st through 19th Street and limited downtown spaces to three hours unless drivers have a resident, employee or guest permit.
Watch Fox 4's Alex Orenczuk's coverage of the meeting:
Commissioner David Mulicka pushed for changes to the original plan, which would have created a seven-member panel nominated solely by Commissioner Kevin Ruane.
“Commissioner Ruane brought up a seven member panel, and he had pre-selected all of the members of that panel. So fundamentally, that was one of the core things that I was concerned about, because all five of us are county wide commissioners, and I thought each of us should have our own input for that committee,” Mulicka said.
The board unanimously approved amendments creating a 15-member panel. Each commissioner will now appoint three members, with applications advertised to the public.
A supermajority will be required for the panel to make recommendations, and eligibility was expanded to include a wide range of stakeholders, such as nonprofit groups, church representatives, wildlife rescue volunteers, property owners, and business operators connected to Boca Grande.
Mulicka said the changes address concerns from critics, like Robin Wilkins, who told Fox 4 the initial committee appointments did not represent all viewpoints.
“I think this is a welcome opportunity to have a positive step forward where everybody from every stakeholder group has an opportunity to be heard, to voice their opinions, and then bring back those recommendations to us so we actually have a true community consensus,” he said.
Ruane told Fox 4 that defends his initial nominations, stating the people he selected had been deeply involved in shaping the ordinance.
“The people that were very instrumental in forming that and building the relationship and building consent, I thought would be most worthwhile, since they had more intimate knowledge of it,” Ruane said.
But he added that he’s on board with the broader panel.
“I think it's a great balance, and I think we'll certainly serve the community,” Ruane said.
Lee County said a timeline for when appointees will be selected has not yet been announced.
