Whereas, A proposal to change the Lee County Commission from At-Large to Single Member Districts, was approved to be forwarded to Florida State House by a vote of 6-1 of the Lee County Legislative members in attendance during their public delegation meeting on January 9, 2025, despite not having finalized the exact language of the proposal;
Whereas, the Lee County Charter already provides three mechanisms for any amendments to the County Charter or make-up of the Board of County Commissioners;
Whereas, One of those mechanisms, the Charter Review Commission, which is comprised of 15 community members that served from March 2023-April 2024 and with multiple opportunities for public input, did not support pursuing Single Member Districts for Lee County Commissioners;
Whereas, On November 29, 2023, the majority of the Lee Board of County Commissioners approved Resolution No. 23-11-26 in Opposition to future legislative action that would change the Lee County Commission from At-Large to Single Member Districts and from five to seven members;
Whereas, Recent Town Hall discussions by the Lee County Legislative Delegation have been limited to a change from At-Large to Single Member Districts and omitted reference to:
- The dilution of citizen voting rights;
- The expansion of government presented in a recent draft of the proposition the Lee Delegation is considering which includes at least two (2) at-large members;
- The potential increase in the number of Single Member District commissioners;
- Costs associated with the proposed changes and the impact on taxes; and
- Restriction of the Commission Chairman position to only an At-Large seat, all of which may have influenced public support for, or opposition to, a referendum;
Whereas, Shifting the approval of a referendum to the whole Florida Legislature, rather than comporting with the procedure set out in the County Charter, is contrary to the very argument being made at the core of the Single Member District proposal that local control and decisions are most important, and strips local governmental control as set out in the Lee County Charter; and
Whereas, The County Commissioners are elected At-Large and represent the entire County, while the Lee County Legislative Delegation members each represent only segments of the County and are not as closely involved in the intricacies of local County matters since their focus is primarily on State-wide issues;
Resolved, By the Lee County Republican Executive Committee that the Lee County Legislative Delegation should not engage in pursuing a referendum regarding Single Member Districts or any change to the make-up of the Board of County Commissioners at the State Legislative level, but instead those Lee County State Legislators and other proponents in favor of such a referendum should pursue the three mechanisms as outlined in the County Charter, as this not only honors the local governance model but also enhances citizen engagement; and
Resolved,, That the Lee County Republican Executive Committee stands firm that the Lee County Delegation should not circumvent the on-going Charter review Commission and Charter Amendment process created by the Lee County Charter and adopted by the good citizens of Lee County.