A day before being sworn in to serve on Punta Gorda City Council, three council members-elect, who unseated incumbents, provided a sneak peak of changes they plan to make during their terms.
A grassroots movement opposing newly adopted Land Development Regulations led to the incumbents’ defeat on Election Day. Residents also expressed opposition to the city funding a new
$16 million City Hall building.
Jeannine Polk, Greg Julian and Janis Denton were asked if they would rescind plans for a new City Hall, have plans to mitigate ongoing flooding problems in the downtown district, change the LDRs and whether they would investigate the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program to help residents raise their homes.
Denton, who ran against Mayor Lynne Matthews for the District 4 seat, said she would rescind plans for the new City Hall that had been previously designed. “The residents don’t want a $16 million building when we have so many other needs like infrastructure and hurricane recovery,” she said.
“It makes sense to have a building away from the flood zone. When we have floods is exactly when the employees need to be able to get to work and not have to worry about their own building.”
Julian, who ran against Vice Mayor Bill Dryburgh for the District 2 seat, said he would “definitely seek to cancel the City Hall project and look for alternatives out of the flood zone.”
He said the Muscle Car City building “offers lots of space to provide for city staff and for police expansion, which will enable the fire department to expand in the Public Safety buildings.”
“Fort Myers Beach lost their City Hall to [Hurricane] Ian and looked at building a new one but decided to purchase and remodel an existing building … It is cheaper, and they will be able to occupy it much faster.”
Polk ran against Donna Peterman for the District 1 seat that includes the Historic District. She said she’ll work with the other members of Council “in order to come up with a plan that will accommodate the wishes of the people.”
“The recent catastrophic flooding events [of hurricanes Helene and Milton] have caused us all to rethink where we place our government buildings, our police and fire houses, our safety vehicles, etc. Relocating to higher ground and out of the flood zone would protect our essential workers and working vehicles, ultimately saving the taxpayers’ dollars.”
On the issue of flooding, Denton said the city should make sure drainage and floodgate or backflow preventers are functional.
Julian seeks to conduct workshops on flooding mitigation and will have the city apply for grants to help with the funding. “I think we need to immediately fund a thorough cleaning and refurbishment of the storm drains, as they are likely full of Milton’s sludge,” he said.
All three agreed that changes will be made to the LDRs.
Julian said he would press to rescind the LDRs to their original density.
Polk said LDRs “are frequently changed and are never written in stone. There are procedures that must be taken in order to amend Land Development Regulations, and they must be in keeping with the Comprehensive Plan. These changes take place through a step-by-step process and would require public hearings. The approval process typically allows for the City Council to have a final consideration in the land development changes.”
All three said they will support funding sources for homeowners, including the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.
Julian said a resident applied to the county for a grant for his home. The grant money would be transferred to Punta Gorda’s purview for oversight. The matter will be on the Nov. 20 agenda, and 20 more residents are interested, Julian said.
