August 2025 Meeting Minutes

GPICA General Membership Meeting Summary (8-5-2025)

 

Date & Time: 2025-08-05 18:11:57 | Location: First Baptist Church of Pine Island

Board Attendees: Christine Blum, Nadine Slimak, Steve Eldredge, Deborah Swisher-Hicks, Kathy Chumley and Sue Dahod

GPICA General Business
  • Meeting Opening and Approval of Minutes
  • It was announced that the meeting was being live streamed on Facebook and recorded.
  • The minutes for the June 2025 meeting were then brought forward for approval, as there was no meeting in July. Minutes were approved.
Treasurer’s Report
  • As Treasurer was ill, no report was presented and it was held over to the September meeting.
Community Announcements
  • A hurricane seminar on Aug. 7, 2025;
  • The Matlacha Monthly Art Walk on Aug. 8, 2025;
  • The next GPICA roadside cleanup in October 2025.
  • The next GPICA meeting rescheduled to Sept. 9 because of the Labor Day holiday.
Meeting Speakers: Updates from Community Groups

GREATER PINE ISLAND ALLIANCE (GPIA)

  • Retired Lt. Col. Aaron Barreda introduced the GPIA, a 501c3 non-profit, formed after Hurricane Ian. The organization, funded by grants and donations, aims to lead long-term recovery efforts, reduce duplication of services, and help every disaster survivor return home. He introduced the GPIA Executive Director, Erin Lollar-Lambert.
  • Colonel Barreda outlined the Long-Term Recovery Group model, based on the National VOAD’s best practices, which focuses on preparedness, response, and long-term recovery. He described a ‘hub and spoke’ model of collaboration with various faith-based and non-faith-based organizations to meet diverse individual needs, from home repairs to acquiring supplies.
  • While still managing over 80 cases from Hurricane Ian, the GPIA is also preparing for future disasters. Before Hurricanes Helene and Milton hit, they had pre-positioned Starlink units for communications, water, and other supplies. This preparation enabled a rapid response, allowing them to quickly deploy volunteers and resources like mucking/gutting services and flood buckets to affected areas.
  • The Alliance collaborates with a wide range of partners, including United Way, Somebody Cares, the local Moose Lodge and Lee County for example.
  • Since Helene and Milton, the Alliance has coordinated more than 10,000 volunteer hours, helped more than 2,600 people, and delivered more than $850,000 in in-kind donations.
  • The Alliance is a member of Florida VOAD (Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster) and part of a network of 47 Long-Term Recovery Groups (LTRGs). They participate in the state’s ESF 15 emergency coordination calls.
  • The speakers appealed to the community for support, emphasizing that contributions can take many forms beyond swinging a hammer.

GREATER PINE ISLAND EMERGENCY TASK FORCE (GPIETF)

  • Elsie Stearns introduced the task force, which was formed due to a lack of communication during a previous storm. She listed its 17 members from various local offices and businesses, including the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, Beacon of Hope, and fire departments.
  • The mission is to lead efforts in preparing for, responding to, mitigating, and initiating recovery actions for disasters.
  • The task force established an Area of Operations Center (AOC) at the Beacon of Hope using Starlinks and maintained constant communication with their representative at the Emergency Operations Center (EOC). This allowed for real- time updates on storm conditions and damage.
  • The task force met with stakeholders like Publix, Winn-Dixie, 7-Eleven, and Ace Hardware to plan for post-storm logistics. They gathered information on generator availability, fuel types, and key personnel.
Public Information Sessions

Betsy Parkway Development on Pine Island Road

  • Cindy C. Leal Brizuela presented a plan for a development on a 23.96-acre property. The project proposes rezoning to allow for commercial and light industrial uses, including up to 45,000 square feet of industrial buildings and open/closed storage, primarily for boats and RVs. No residential units are proposed.
  • Residents raised concerns about the new development, focusing on the sewer system and visual impact. There was a strong sentiment that sewer access should be provided to existing residents before new businesses are connected.
  • Other concerns included the aesthetic impact of a large, paved area for storage and the increasing number of such facilities.
  • A proposal to rezone a large portion of non-commercial, Ag-2 land to industrial for open storage was discussed.
  • The community raised significant concerns about the necessity of the project, citing available vacant industrial lots. Key issues included potential increases in traffic, particularly from mainland boat owners, negative impacts on water management due to runoff from asphalt and vehicles, and the project opening the door for larger, undesirable developments.
  • A traffic study was mentioned, which reportedly showed no impact.

The GPICA asked those in attendance to vote for or against supporting the rezoning request. Of the 120 people in the audience during the meeting, only 1 person voted in favor of the request.

Bokeelia Cell Phone Tower

  • Alexis Crespo, Vice President of Planning for RVI Planning presented a proposal for a special exception to build a 150-foot monopole cell tower at 7645 Barrancas Avenue, Bokeelia, on behalf of Skyway Towers LLC of Tampa.
  • The justification is to improve poor cell coverage to the area and the proposal requests variances for reduced property line setbacks and a special exception for the height of the tower. The presenters showed visual simulations to illustrate the tower’s visual impact and noted it would be buffered by fencing and heavy landscaping.

Residents raised the following objections/concerns:

  • Health Studies on Microwave Towers: Concerns were raised about the health effects of living near microwave towers. Applicant said Federal government studies indicate no problem.
  • Impact on Property Values: Residents expressed concern about the potential impact of the cell tower on their property values.
  • Site Selection Process: Questions were asked about why the specific site was chosen and why other locations were not approached. It was noted that the Applicant is checking with about 20 local commercial entities about their interest in hosting this tower.
  • Setting a Precedent for Variances: A resident expressed concern that granting a variance for the 150-foot tower could open the door for other large-scale developments, like a 25-story condominium, which is not allowed under the current zoning rules.
  • Resident Morgan Marks, owner of Pine Island-based Dynamic South Inc., which builds communications towers but is not involved in this project, spoke in support of the tower, suggesting that increased demand from several new local developments coming online will strain existing capacity and that a new tower is needed.
  • Residents expressed strong opposition to the chosen site, arguing the 210-foot-wide lot is too small for a 150-foot tower, posing a fall risk to an adjacent residences.
  • Residents also questioned the selection process, suggesting the property was chosen for convenience and profit rather than suitability and suggested several alternative locations. Suggestions included co-locating equipment on the existing Verizon tower property or using larger agricultural parcels for better concealment.

The GPICA board again called for a vote, asking residents in support of the project to stand. Of the 110 people remaining in the audience (some left after the Betsy Parkway public information session), four people supported the request.

— Respectfully submitted by Steve Eldredge, Secretary

Meeting Recording

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