Lee County commission chooses new map for districts
The Lee County Board of County Commissioners has chosen a map for the county’s voting districts which will largely keep the status quo.
Commissioners chose the alternative Map 5, which made marginal changes to the current districts after a lengthy public hearing on Nov. 2 in the commission chambers at the old Lee County Courthouse in Fort Myers.
The hearing brought out deep concern by some in attendance about minority representation from the Dunbar neighborhood of Fort Myers being diluted. Dunbar is a section of Fort Myers that historically is a predominantly black community.
However, some commissioners challenged whether the community of Dunbar was ever split to begin with and challenged where its boundaries are.
The county undergoes redistricting every 10 years to address demographic changes from the U.S. Census as per Florida law.
The matter of demographics is of consequence in redistricting based on federal guidelines through the Voting Rights of 1965, which prohibits racial discrimination in voting.
There were seven alternative maps for the county’s districts presented to commission, with the seventh being proposed by District 4 Commissioner Brian Hamman, whose district includes parts of Cape Coral and North Fort Myers.
PUBLIC ON MINORITY REPRESENTATION
As speakers from Fort Myers to Sanibel to Cape Coral addressed the commissioners while facing a large portrait of Confederate General Robert E. Lee on the wall of the chambers, it was clear that the representation of racial minorities was a top concern for many speakers.
Jim Nathan, representing Southwest Florida Voices for Racial Justice and a former president and chief executive officer of Lee Health, said “Dunbar must come home.”
Nathan was one of a number of speakers who lamented the 2011 redistricting plan.
“A decade ago, most of Dunbar was placed in a district — predominantly North Fort Myers,” he said. “Minority representation was significantly diluted. The city was split and maybe these are signs of gerrymandering.”
Nathan spoke in favor of keeping Fort Myers united under one district.
“Map 5 does not reunite Dunbar with greater Fort Myers. There is no rational reason to perpetuate an inappropriate action from a decade earlier,” he said.
Nathan gave support to Map 7.
“Map 7 looks like Lee County. The municipalities of Lehigh, Fort Myers, Estero and Bonita are not split. Cape Coral is only partially split and Dunbar comes home,” he said.
Eileen Conroy, first vice president of the League of Women Voters of Lee County, said the league is opposed to racial gerrymandering and questioned why only one map kept Dunbar together.
Conroy said it was “disappointing” that a citizen’s advisory committee was not put together.
“Why wasn’t there a commissioners’ workshop?” she asked.
Conroy said the league was concerned with transparency.
“Throughout the process, board of county commissioners members have stated they represent all in the county and that they are accessible to all. When our league, Lee County, contacted all commissioners about redistricting we were only able to reach and talk to two of you,” she said.
Mike Love, who identified himself as co-chair of the redistricting committee of the NAACP, gave support for Map 6C.
Lee County Attorney Richard Wesch said staff could not defend Map 6C. The map would have made the most demographic changes, by turning District 5, represented by Commissioner Frank Mann, from a 50 percent minority demographic district to a 62 percent minority demographic district.
Among those in favor of keeping the status quo, Map 5 was most popular.
Michael Welch, of Lehigh Acres, said he supported Map 5 which kept Lehigh Acres within one district.
“When I first moved to Lehigh Acres 50,000 people live there, now there is 120,000 people or so. It’s our largest unincorporated community within Lee County,” he said.
Iris Ramirez, who said she was of Puerto Rican and mixed-racial heritage, said she was “sick of the race card” and supported Map 5.
“What I found insulting all my life is that people think we vote the same way if we are minority, which we do not. We are individuals,” she said.
COMMISSIONER VIEWS
Map 7 would have kept all of Fort Myers under District 2, which is represented by Commissioner Cecil Pendergrass. He supported Map 5, along with Chairman Kevin Ruane, who represents District 1, and District 3 Commissioner Ray Sandelli.
Map 7 would have also moved the southern portion of District 1 south to include parts of Iona and surrounding unincorporated areas of Lee. District 1 includes Sanibel and parts of Cape Coral.
Pendergrass, who said he lived in Dunbar for three years, said the map did not actually split Dunbar.
“Physically, I didn’t see that boundary being changed,” he said.
Pendergrass asked Welch if the maps split Dunbar.
“Not based on our best information,” Welch said.
Lee County Manager Roger Desjarlais said “the city of Fort Myers does not have a map with a legal description of Dunbar.”
Pendergrass said the commissioners did not get a request from the Dunbar community or from the city of Fort Myers regarding issues in Dunbar over the years.
“If we had those requests, we would have fulfilled them,” he said. “At the end of the day, you will be served.”
Pendergrass cited an email from 2011 to suggest that the NAACP was happy with the redistricting process.
Ruane also cited a letter from the NAACP from the minutes in 2011 which he said showed support for the redistricting process.
According to a Cape Coral Breeze article from 2011, the NAACP expressed concern during the redistricting process about the Dunbar neighborhood being split.
Sandelli, whose district includes Fort Myers Beach, Bonita Springs and Estero, responded to those saying that race should be considered in the redistricting process by stating, “I get very uncomfortable when we start dividing ourselves by any racial issue. My father taught me to respect everybody. And so when I look at these maps and try to put it together, the biggest thing to me is that where is the equity big picture in numbers? Because everybody counts. I don’t look at you or you any differently than I look at the members of my family. I hope someday we can get to that point where we look at each other and respect each other the same and that we care about each other the same.”
Mann was one of two commissioners who voted against the redistricting plan in 2011.
“If there was ever an opportunity to dilute a particular vote, it looks to me like we went out of our way to do just that,” he said.
Mann said he was surprised the county was not sued at the time.
He said he supported Map 7 as proposed by Hamman.
Hamman said his map was more balanced by population and “nobody gets an advantage.” He said he tried to follow the state constitution by following geographic boundaries as much as possible.
“I think a lawsuit probably is coming,” Hamman said. “I personally don’t understand splitting Fort Myers up into two districts the way Map 5 would when Fort Myers is small enough to fit into one district.”
Hamman said he was “disappointed” his map was not embraced.
Pendergrass said he picked Map 5 “because it has the least changes.”
Map 5, which was adopted by the commissioners, closely mirrors the existing maps. The map slightly extends a small sliver of the middle of District 3 into the southern portion of the existing District 2.
Map 5 also takes out a small section of Cape Coral from District 1 and puts it into District 4.
Mann and Hamman voted against Map 5, with Mann adding “with emphasis, no.”
Pendergrass, Ruane and Sandelli voted in favor of Map 5.
The commissioners will make a final vote on ratifying Map 5 on Nov. 16.
To reach NATHAN MAYBERG / nmayberg@breezenewspapers.com, please email