On Tuesday April 15th our local city, town, and village leaders discussed the challenges and opportunities they face in 2025. Our panel included City Managers, Michael Ilczyszyn of Cape Coral and Marty K. Lawing of Fort Myers, Town of Fort Myers Beach Council Member, Scott Safford, and Village of Estero Manager, Steven Sarkozy. We learned about efforts to expand affordable housing in the City of Fort Myers through efforts such as helping developers with upfront costs and rental assistance programs. The Village of Estero and City of Cape Coral are facing similar challenges due to rapid population growth which is impacting traffic congestion and raising costs for permit processing. Population growth has challenged the Cities of Cape Coral and Fort Myers with expanding water and sewer infrastructure, while project costs continue to rise due to market influences. The Town of Fort Myers big challenge is the continued recovery efforts due to Hurricane Ian, as well as more recent hurricanes. There currently is not enough population in the Town to support new businesses and it’s anticipate that a full recovery will take 8 to 10 years. FEMA funds will be crucial in these efforts.
