Letter To The Lehigh Acres Board Of Fire Commissioners From The Lehigh Acres Presbyterian Homes Of Lehigh Acres

Notice is hereby given that the Board of Fire Commissioners of the Lehigh Acres Fire Control and Rescue District (the “District”) will conduct a public hearing to consider the imposition of fire protection and emergency rescue assessments for the provision of Fire Protection and Emergency Rescue Services within the District for the Fiscal Year beginning October 1, 2016, and for future fiscal years until discontinued by the District.

The hearing will be held at 5:00 p.m. on August 30, 2016, at the Microtel Inn & Suites, Main Conference Room, 1320 Business Way, Lehigh Acres, Florida 33936, for the purpose of receiving public comment on the proposed assessments.  All affected property owners have a right to appear at the hearing and to file written objections with the District within 20 days of this notice. 

The letter below was emailed to all the Lehigh Acres Board of Fire Commissioners on Aug 26, 2016.

Dear Lehigh Acres Board of Fire Commissioners:

Thank you for meeting with our residents on July 26th. I hope all of you had the opportunity to read their letters that were presented to you at the meeting. We and our residents fully support and are deeply grateful to the service of our fire fighters and first responders and we fully understand the need for a sufficient budget.

In order to offset the numerous emergency calls you get from our residents, we have been educating them on the importance of getting proper healthcare before the need to dial 9-1-1 arises. We have an independent on- site wellness center that is open Monday – Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and we are encouraging them to utilize it.

We have learned that when you voted to pass Resolution (15-05-01) which exempted Codes 05, 06, 08, 09 and 38 from the non-ad valorem assessment, you did not fully know the people they serve or how the Lehigh Acres Presbyterian Communities (PHL) really worked.

Now you know…

     PHL has maintained the commitment of affordable housing in Lehigh Acres since 1959

     PHL is properly coded by the Property Appraiser as Code 13 (property used by nonprofit homes for the aged)

     PHL has stayed true to the original mission and it has not changed into something “different”

     PHL is truly mission driven, not profit driven

     All of the community expenses are paid with rental income

     The Presbyterian Church only provides community sponsorship but never financial support

     All board members are UNPAID volunteers

     The communities are simply not “Cash Cows” and never have been

     PHL has federal government oversight over budgets, rents and reserves

     PHL files tax returns as 501(c)(3) charitable non-profit corporations

     In 2015, the communities did not budget for the $145,803.87 assessments

     The communities were told they would remain assessment exempt if they were tax exempt

     PHL provides affordable housing for 488 families or 613 persons

     $145,803.87/488 families = $298.78/12 months = $24.90 per unit per month rent increase

     The assessment is $300 per year for residents due to commercial space being assessed in addition to dwelling space

     The rents MUST GO UP to cover the Fire Control and Rescue assessments

     All of the senior and disabled residents are low income – average monthly income range: $762.84 – $1,264.00

     The residents do not just pay $10-$20 a month in rent

     The rents charged to residents range from $299 for a studio to $494 for a 2-bedroom

     Only 45% of the residents receive rental subsidies

     Supporting genuine non-profits that serve in your community benefits the entire community

Now   WE know…  the commissioners on the Fire Board can vote to include Code 13 as exempt.

PLEASE VOTE TO MAKE CODE 13 EXEMPT!