Captiva fire board OKs referendum for land purchase
The Captiva Island Fire Control District’s commission gave approval to proceed with a special election for a bond referendum to buy and improve some of the Rauschenberg property at its recent meeting.
On Nov. 11, the commissioners voted unanimously 3-0 on a resolution calling for the election on Feb. 10 to submit to the district’s electorate a ballot question asking whether the district is authorized to issue general obligation bonds not to exceed $24 million for the purpose of approving the purchase and improvement of real property for public safety purposes.
The commission also signed off on the official ballot referendum, which will read as:
“To better protect the residents and visitors of Captiva Island, shall the Captiva Island Fire Control District issue not exceeding $24,000,000 general obligation bonds, in one or more series, maturing in thirty years or less, bearing interest not exceeding the maximum legal rate, secured by and payable from the faith, credit and ad valorem taxing power of the district, for the acquisition and improvement of property needed for fire public safety projects?”
Prior to the vote, Commissioner Jeff Brown and Fire Chief Jeff Pawul gave an update.
Brown reported that the district submitted its letter of intent to the Rauschenberg Foundation for the acquisition of three bayside parcels totaling about 9.81 acres out of the approximate 22 total acres. The letter included that if the foundation has a buyer interested in purchasing all of the property, the district is open to working with that buyer to purchase the three or other parcels that accommodate its needs.
He noted that the foundation had not accepted or rejected their offer as of the meeting.
“So we’re kind of in limbo,” Brown said.
He continued that the foundation has reportedly whittled down the number of potential buyers. Two buyers have expressed interest in selling some of the land to the district if they win their bid. One buyer would sell the district the three parcels that it is seeking, while the second would sell up to five acres.
“There’s no commitment between us and those developers,” Brown noted.
He continued that they have had discussions with some banks.
“So we’re exploring our different financing options. We’ve been working on various things, but we haven’t done anything,” Brown said, noting that that is because the commission has to approve.
Pawul explained that the deadline for the Lee County Elections Office for the referendum to make the ballot is the following day, so he would need to provide the official language before the end of day. The election will cost about $3,100 and they will have 45 days to pull the referendum off of the ballot.
“I’m fairly confident we’ll have an answer within 45 days,” he said of the foundation’s decision.
Pawul continued that the proposed resolution and referendum specify the amount and process for funding the purchase, but those are not tied to a specific buyer so it leaves the acquisition open-ended. In addition, they did not limit how the funding would come about, such as via a loan versus bond.
“I would think within the next 45 days we’re going to have some clarity,” Brown said.
He noted that they wrote the resolution and referendum for $24 million, instead of the $22 million asking price submitted to the foundation. The extra cushion would be for capital improvements.
“We don’t have to spend the $24 million,” Brown said.
“He’s right,” Pawul added. “That is up to, not have to.”
Asked for their feedback, the other commissioners voiced support.
“This is a lot of work,” Commissioner Sherrill Sims said. “You all have done a great job.”
IN OTHER NEWS
– The commission voted 3-0 on a resolution authorizing the purchase of two Zoll automated external defibrillators (AEDs) for operational use.
– Pawul reported that since the commission approved the agreement with South Seas’ attorneys for funding for the new ladder truck, neither he nor the district’s attorney have heard anything back. Emails have been sent to the resort’s attorneys and executives, but they have not gotten any responses back.
“I have heard nothing, so I don’t know,” he said.
Pawul noted that the agreement on the payment goes into effect when a permit is pulled.
“So maybe they’re waiting until they pull a permit,” he said.
– Pawul reported that the district applied for a grant from the West Coast Inland Navigation District (WCIND). The funds would be used to replace the pump and some electronics on the fire boat.
– Pawul reported that the district responded to 31 incidents in October.
– Pawul reported that the district conducted 16 fire inspections in October.
To reach TIFFANY REPECKI / trepecki@breezenewspapers.com, please email