A Political Action Committee has been formed to stop the Lehigh Acres Fire Districts Campaign for a new Fire Fee Assessment. “Get The Facts Lehigh”
The leaders of this 527 organization have said, the vast majority of the vacant lot owners are non-residents of Lee County and cannot cast votes in the referendum on whether the current $25 assessment should be increased to $162. If approved by the voters, lot owner’s contribution to the District revenue would increase from $2,250,000 to $14,580,000. If the Fee is approved the vacant lot owners will pay a 700% assessment increase, some family homes will also see an increase.
The Fire Chief Dilallo has been quoted as stating that a new fire station outside of Sunshine Boulevard would be built “to reduce EMS response time.” Vacant lots do not benefit from EMS services as do homes.
Back in 2014, EMS cannot meet call times (According to Lee County ordinance, all ambulance transport units must comply with a response time of 8:59 (eight minutes and 59 seconds) or less, 90 percent of the time.) and we the citizens of Lehigh Acres were promised by the fire department that this would be fixed. Now in 2020, promises not kept, why, because of poor management.
According to the PAC it’s time to say NO again.
In 2019 the dept spent nearly $250,000 on a special election and lost, now the Fire Commissioners have put the same ballot question on the Aug 2020 primary election hoping for a little or no turnout.
The PAC website is www.getthefactslehigh.com