City Councilman Looking to Takeover Gateway and Annex to the City of Fort Myers
City Councilman Looking to Takeover Gateway and Annex to the City of Fort Myers
City Councilman Tom Leonardo, in an effort to grow the City of Fort Myers, revealed that annexing the community of Gateway would be the best option to increase the size of the City of Fort Myers.
The Fort Myers City Councilman Tom Leonardo wants to appropriate Gateway and annex into the city. Leonardo brought the idea during a council planning session September 30th. Leonardo believes it will be a good thing for Gateway and stated, “It’ll add to the city’s tax base and help”.
For the City of Fort Myers to take control of Gateway the measure must be voted on, then the city council or residents will vote to admit.
Local Gateway residents do not share the councilman’s feelings; several Gateway residents have stated they like things the way they are and have serious concerns regarding the idea “floated” by the councilman.
Local Gateway resident Ed Ryan stated, “Another politician with nothing better to do than try to pick our pockets. Make no mistake about it, if this happens, OUR TAXES WILL GO UP.” He pointed out that Gateway has a local full service government in place, the Gateway Services District (www.gatewaydistrict.org), that provides an array of services including common area maintenance, paying the Lee County Sheriff’s Office to patrol Gateway, Office Building, Board, Attorney, Operations Manager and more. Ryan also has concerns about the City of Fort Myers keeping up the beautiful image of Gateway and the park areas:
- Will the City of Fort Myers keep the Gateway Dog Park clean?
- Will the City of Fort Myers maintain the Gateway Soccer Fields & Parks?
- Will the City of Fort Myers maintain the landscaping on Gateway Boulevard?
- Will the City of Fort Myers hold the Holiday festivals, Fishing Challenge, Movies in the Park and other community events as Gateway Services District does?
Tom Leonardo stated, “Maybe now that I’m raising the issue, maybe we will get some public feedback from them.” Here is City Councilman Tom Leonardo’s e-mail address to voice your concerns – TLeonardo@cityftmyers.com.
