GPICA members talk about 2025
Ongoing efforts, other updates also addressed
Greater Pine Island Civic Association Vice President Nadine Slimak led the Dec. 3 membership meeting, with a focus on 2025, which was given in an open Microphone format.
Slimak announced the upcoming GPICA Adopt-A-Road events will be held Jan. 8, February 5 and March 5. She also reminded everyone to please take the online Resiliency Survey, which can be done by scanning the QR code found on the GPICA.org website.
She also opened the floor to those members who wanted to have a discussion about the organization’s potential focus for 2025.
A member asked about the outcome of the Chiquita Lock case and how much was spent, to which GPICA board member Sue Dahod said, over the summer it was decided that Cape Coral could remove the lock. According to Slimak, this should be done by April 2025.
She also brought up a development issue going on at South Seas Plantation on Captiva, relative to building height and density, that she said may have future insinuations on Pine Island.
“They’re basically looking at an increase of 500 or so residents out there under the new building height regulations, so there’s a coalition out on Captiva, that includes Sanibel, also, that are trying to fight those changes and that’s working its way through legal channels as well right now. We’re keeping an eye on it, I think it’s got implications for what could happen to us out here,” Slimak said.
A member commented on property which has been left to deteriorate through the last three hurricanes, saying although people finally came in to tear down the building, it’s been left on the side of the road.
Slimak suggested contacting Lee County Commissioner Kevin Ruane and also Solid Waste.
Another member said he called Ruane, as well as Lee County and Solid Waste, but no one seemed to have a way to contact those picking up the trash and debris.
Slimak said an issue the organization is looking to take on in 2025 is resiliency and possibly teaming up with the Matlacha Civic Association on issues that affect the public on the whole. Dahod said at a recent MCA meeting folks were asking how long it might be before the houses falling into the water in Matlacha are handled.
“The county basically said there’s a process and that process involved the homeowner and insurance companies and it took a long time, and unfortunately the person who was from the county didn’t even have a number for how long it would take — how many years it would take, and that generated some controversy,” Dahod said.
In Matlacha, she explained, one of the members of the MCA went out and located the 20 most egregious houses and sent the list to the county. Dahod suggested the continuation of lists being sent to the county as a way to keep county officials informed of the needs of Pine Island.
The next GPICA general meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 7, at 6:30 p.m., at First Baptist Church of Pine Island, 5363 Avenue D, Bokeelia, 33922, located next to Pine Island Elementary School at The Center.
For more Information on the removal of hurricane debris, please visit Lee County online at https://www.leegov.com/solidwaste/hurricane.
To see this meeting in its entirety, visit the GPICA Facebook page for the livestream. For information on the GPICA, please visit: GPICA.ORG.