Greater Pine Island Civic Association | General Membership Meeting Minutes

Tuesday, September 8, 2026  |  6:30 p.m.  |  First Baptist Church of Pine Island

GPICA President Chris Blum called the meeting to order, welcoming guests. Treasurer Steve Eldredge introduced the evening’s speaker, Kevin Carnes. Additional Board members present were Sue Dahod, Vicky Werner, Kathy Chumley and Deborah Swisher-Hicks.

Guest Presentation: Lee County Clerk and Comptroller

Kevin Carnes, Lee County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller, was introduced with Assistant Director of Communications Yasinia Williams. Carnes reviewed the office’s five constitutional functions: clerk of court, clerk to the Board of County Commissioners, county recorder, custodian of county funds, and county auditor. He described its responsibility for court records, public documents, financial accounting, investment of county funds and auditing, including airport-related functions.

Property fraud prevention

Carnes explained how fraudulent deeds can be recorded, particularly involving vacant land, and why an owner might not discover the problem for months. He discussed Lee County’s 2023 property-fraud prevention pilot, which collected identification with deeds, and said the pilot identified four cases of fraud. He described statutory limitations on the clerk’s ability to reject or remove a deed and his interest in further legislative changes.

Carnes urged residents to enroll in the county’s free Property Fraud Alert service, which emails a notice when a document is recorded under a registered name, generally within 24 hours. He advised registering name variations and reviewing any alerts to determine whether the filing is legitimate. Residents without email can ask a trusted person to register and relay alerts. He also suggested checking ownership records periodically, claiming property listings on real estate websites, considering privacy protections and checking eligibility for public-record redactions.

Financial transparency

Carnes introduced the Sand Dollar Snapshot, an online dashboard of Lee County revenues, expenses, cash and investments, with approximately three years of data, designed to make county financial information more accessible than annual accounting reports.

Questions and answers addressed the clerk’s authority over county spending and budgets, airport audits, the Sheriff’s Office budget and Conservation 2020. Carnes emphasized that elected commissioners make budget and policy decisions, while his office checks legal authority, supporting documentation and financial controls. Regarding Conservation 2020, he said he had advised the county that its funding should conform to the governing ordinance or that the ordinance should be changed; he characterized the disagreement with county officials as a difference in interpretation. He did not know the status of specific recent land closings.

Association Business

August meeting minutes

The August minutes had been posted online but were not included in the meeting email. A motion was made to table their consideration, and the minutes were tabled. The treasurer’s report was also postponed.

Membership Committee

Kathy Chumley invited volunteers to join the newly formed committee to increase membership and community involvement. Interested residents were asked to contact info@gpica.org or speak with her directly; a meeting date had not yet been established.

Environmental Committee

Sue Dahod invited members to participate in a new committee monitoring environmental issues, including recurring algae blooms in Matlacha and Tropical Point, mangrove impacts and proposed boat access associated with the Seven Islands area, and elevated fecal-indicator bacteria readings at the Pineland Kayak Launch. Members were directed to info@gpica.org.

Road cleanup

The next cleanup was announced for October 7 at 8:00 a.m., beginning at the Bokeelia Post Office. Cleanup and beautification efforts were recognized.

Lee County Comprehensive Plan and Pine Island Plan

Nadine Slimak presented an update on proposed Lee County revisions to its comprehensive plan and land development code. She explained that county staff had been directed to review provisions considered redundant, outdated or inefficient. The proposed changes would eliminate the county’s 17 individual community plans as separate plan components and move selected provisions into the broader land development code.

Speakers expressed concern that community-specific safeguards might be omitted, altered or made easier to amend. They said that some protections, including Pine Island height and density provisions and the coastal rural designation, appeared to remain, but questioned whether all provisions had been carried forward. Particular concerns included public information meeting requirements for proposed development, loss of distinct community protections and reduced opportunities for public involvement. These were concerns expressed at the meeting, not findings independently established by the minutes.

Attendees were told that the Local Planning Agency had voted 4–2 to transmit the proposal following a meeting attended by approximately 100 residents. Additional reviews by the Executive Regulatory Oversight Committee and Land Development Code Advisory Committee were anticipated, with a possible County Commission consideration on September 16. The timetable and subsequent state review were discussed as anticipated steps, not confirmed final actions.

Slimak described formation of the Lee Communities Coalition to coordinate a response among GPICA, the Matlacha Civic Association and other community groups, including organizations from Buckingham, Alva, Captiva, Bayshore and Greater Pine Island. The coalition had prepared a joint statement and was consulting legal experts. Members urged residents to attend hearings, contact county commissioners and county staff, share concerns with elected state officials, and encourage neighbors and community organizations to participate.

Audience discussion covered differences among Lee County communities, implications of Senate Bill 180, the history and purpose of the Pine Island Plan, possible incorporation and home-rule limitations, and ways to expand public outreach. Members encouraged letters to commissioners and local news outlets, conversations with neighbors and participation in coalition communications. No formal GPICA vote on the proposed county revisions is documented in the transcript.

Announcements and Upcoming Meetings

• September 19: “Our Waters, Our Vote,” a panel discussion on clean water, legal developments and voting, with GPICA and the Matlacha Civic Association among the event sponsors; community organizations were expected to have information tables.
• October GPICA meeting: Dr. Frank Alcock was scheduled to discuss the proposed shift from at-large to single-member County Commission elections and Amendment 3 on homestead exemptions; Lee County Property Appraiser Matt Caldwell was expected to discuss local tax implications. Organizers also invited County Commission District 2 and 4 candidates.
• October 7: GPICA road cleanup, 8:00 a.m., Bokeelia Post Office.

Adjournment

• Respectfully submitted by Vice President Nadine Slimak