GPICA introduces new board members, hears presentations on annexations, water quality
The Greater Pine Island Civic Association held its general monthly meeting March 5 at the First Baptist Church of Pine Island, introducing its new board members and hearing presentations on annexations from Greater Pine Island Water Association General Manager Mikes Maillakakis and water quality from Calusa Land Trust board member Judy Ott and Abriana Sadler of the DEP.
The new 2024 GPICA Board members are Deborah Swisher-Hicks, president; Nadine Slimak, vice president; Mike Sweeney, treasurer; Steve Eldridge, secretary; Tim Heitz and Sue Dahod.
Maillakakis began by telling members 2023 brought aspects of voluntary annexation to light, via possible changes in the Lee County Charter Commission.
“The Lee County Charter Commission is entertaining language to change the charter that allows the county to review voluntary annexations. This has been a point of great concern for us in our community because the city of Cape Coral has been annexing in a westward direction,” Maillakakis said.
There are upcoming public meetings regarding the new language on voluntary annexation, he explained, such as one on March 26 in North Fort Myers. Maillakakis encouraged members to attend, if possible. The community has done well in the last year, he said, regarding annexations with Cape Coral. A priority, he said, is to help protect the customer base.
“In the last two years, we’ve been pretty successful at keeping this city at bay,” Maillakakis said.
Maillakakis described the role of the GPIWA regarding annexation, by explaining that when Cape Coral annexes properties, the GPIWA loses that service area, as it becomes governed under the city and therefore has a vested interest in knowledge of these annexations and if possible the cessation of those in the GPIWA service area.
“The way the Florida statutes are written right now when a voluntary annexation is done, the municipality that’s annexing the property-there’s no process, other than the municipality has to accept the person who wants to annex in-there’s no safeguards-this new language does put in some safeguards so that when that happens, the county’s able to review the voluntary annexation application and then there can be a discussion about how services may be modified,” Maillakakis said.
Representing the Water Quality Monitoring Program, CLT ‘s Ott began her presentation by explaining the decline of water quality in local estuaries and asking members to consider becoming water monitors, which does not require a degree in science or a career as a scientist. Previous Pine Island water monitors, she said, are lawyers, artists and musicians. Organizations such as the GPICA garner help from the community in its ability to protect natural resources, like water, Ott said.
“One of the strongest rules we have collectively to help protect our estuaries is the Florida Aquatic Preserve Program,” Ott said.
Sadler of the FDEP explained the operating area for the Water Quality Monitoring Program is all the waters from northern Lemon Bay, the tidal rivers in Southern Matlacha Pass, and Pine Island Sound, including Estero Bay.
“There are 46 sites throughout these six aquatic preserves…volunteers go out on the first Monday of every month at sunrise to take in water readings and samples,” Sadler said.
These sites complement important data on estuaries being collected by other organizations, she said. The vast amount of work covered by these 46 sites cannot be done without the help of volunteers.
“Obviously we can’t collect for everything, so we focus on things that are important for human health and fish and wild life,” Sadler said.
To volunteer for water monitoring, please visit Charlotteharborwater.com
To see this meeting in its entirety on livestream, visit the GPICA Facebook page
The next meeting of the GPICA is April 2, 2024 6:30 p.m.
This article, published March 13 Eagle has some information that needs clarifications or corrections:
The organization that made the water quality presentation to the GPICA was the Charlotte Harbor Estuaries Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring Network or CHEVWQMN for short. The organization has been in existence for over 25 years and samples 10 sites around Pine Island on the first Monday of the month within one hour of sunrise.
CHEVWQMN welcomes volunteers and the sampling does not require science knowledge and training takes about an hour with the sampling process taking about two hours each month. The group currently needs volunteers for seven of the Pine Island sites and interested volunteers can contact either Abrianna Sadler at Abrianna.Sadler@FloridaDep.gov or 941-575-5861; Arielle Taylor-Manges at Arielle.TaylorManges@FloridaDep.gov or 941-575-5781; or Judy Ott at Judy.a.ott52@gmail.com or 239-229-6899.
For more information, on the internet search for “charlotte harbor volunteer water monitoring” or visit the link: https://www.pineisland-eagle.com/2024/03/13/gpica-introduces-new-board-members-hears-presentations-on-annexations-water-quality/
To reach PAULETTE LeBLANC / pleblanc@breezenewspapers.com, please email