NORTH FORT MYERS, Fla. — Nearly seven months since Ian, the road to recovery is going to be a collaborative effort. A task force, created by Lee County commissioners, continues to ask the community what they need and want as we move forward.
Resilient Lee, the task force, held another one of its 16 town hall meetings in North Fort Myers on Tuesday night. What many people at the meeting want the task force to focus on— housing.
"We're talking about workforce housing, we're talking about attainable housing," said Betsy Haesemeyer, who attended the meeting. "I think that's important."
She had to relocate from Pine Island to North Fort Myers after Ian. Her other priority moving forward is mental health.
"The trauma of that, but ongoing needs post the pandemic and then going into this but just like life sometimes," Haesemeyer said.
These are of some of the most important factors to her, and the task force made up of local leaders, like Sanibel councilwoman Holly Smith.
"We all need to be looking at the different areas and realizing that the needs are going to be different in the different locations," she explained. "We're working together to see what's going to be for the greater good for all of Lee County."
That's why there are several categories the task force has laid out, asking people at the meetings what they want to see from the county after Ian.
The task force is working to come up with a $1.1 billion plan, using the money given to Lee County by the federal government. Smith says while she has noticed housing is a big issue in the county, each area has a different need. For Sanibel, she believes it's business recovery and natural resources.
"Sanibel is a conservation island," Smith said. "We want to make sure we're maintaining what we are."
Maintaining Sanibel, Fort Myers, Cape Coral — really everywhere in Lee County. It's a county and community still working to bounce back after Ian.
"We need to consider everybody that's in the community," Haesemeyer said. "Listen to the citizens that are coming here and participating."
The task force expects to have a plan done by late 2023 or early 2024 to give to Lee County commissioners, who will vote on it.
There are several more meetings across the county you can attend. To see the dates, click here.
