door due to the hot weather
141 of the 631 residents that call Presbyterian Homes home made their way into a Lehigh Acres Fire Commission meeting Tuesday on three buses. To fight against the fire assessment fee.
Most of them will making them choose between their safety, medicine or food.
The meeting was held at Fire Station 104. The 141 seniors and low-income residents came to speak, but most of them never made it inside to the meeting.
Sharon Post said she sat outside for an hour. She said “They’re not letting us in and we been sitting out here for an hour waiting to get in and then we get told that, well, they can’t accommodate wheelchairs.”
Fire Candidate Debbie Cunningham said on Facebook, “This meeting was well attended, however, several residents weren’t able to participate. The Board’s blatant disregard for ADA access standards is just one of many problems with the current board.”
Residents of the complex, which holds 488 apartments and 631 residents, say the fire assessment tax will raise their rent $25 a month. For many, that’s the difference between getting medication or going without food or medicine or both.
It’s a message they wanted five fire commissioners to hear loud and clear.
Fire Station 104 on Sunshine Blvd holds less than 81 people. With so many wanting to attend the meeting, many seniors had to wait in the hot sun, some on the ground, and some never made it off the bus because of their conditions.
Commissioner Becker said the fire marshal restricts the number of people the building holds, but they were willing to hear everyone.
But the Lehigh Acres Fire Marshal was excused for the meeting, So the Commissioners paid $632.00 for two off duty Lee County Sheriff Officers. Your taxpayer money at work!
Becker also said, without the new assessment, EMS would be lost, and Lehigh Acres would have only three fire stations.
Lehigh Acres Gazette knows that this is not true. Lee County was ready to take over EMS service per state law and on any given day two of the five stations get less than 3 calls in a 24-hour period.
Presbyterian Homes said they offered a larger venue, but Chairman Kruse said it was too short of notice according to their attorney Richard Pringle. A final meeting on the fire fee assessment is set for August 30 at the Microtel Inn, a much bigger space, according to the fire department. But according to the Hotel it holds 150 people.
The Lehigh Acres Gazette strongly recommends that the fire Commissioner rent the auditorium at East Lee County or Lehigh Senior High Schools to hold meeting on August 30
Commissioner Becker also said, after voters decided to change the old property tax, which added emergency services to the new fire assessment fee, Lee County property appraisers labeled Presbyterian Homes as a “home for the aged,” which is not non-profit exempt.
Becker’s comment to the media is 110% a lie as of July 26, 2016 the Lehigh Acres Gazette checked the Lee County Property Appraisers website and the Presbyterian Homes is wholly exempt (click here).
“We are following the state law that we treat everyone equally,” Becker said. When asked which state law he refuses to answer the media.
Fire Commissioners did approve the preliminary assessment rates and they will start charging homes that are abandoned and that has no certificate of occupancy also.
Right before the meeting was over one of the comments from Becker was, “Presbyterian Homes is failing them. They are not well informed.”