UPDATE: Captiva bond referendum passes in special election
Island property owners signed off on a referendum that will allow the Captiva Island Fire Control District to issue bond loans for the acquisition and improvement of property for public safety projects.
A Special Election was held on Feb. 10 for voters in the district’s jurisdiction.
The bond referendum 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 full faith, credit and ad valorem taxing power of the district, for the acquisition and improvement of property needed for fire public safety projects?”
Out of the 237 registered voters eligible to cast a ballot, 106 did — a total voter turnout of 44.73%. According to Lee County Elections, 82 voted in favor of the referendum — 77.36% — and 24 voted against it — 22.64%.
District Commission Chairman Jeff Brown thanked the Captiva community.
“We’re very honored for the support that the community gave to not only the board of commissioners with the referendum, but gives to the fire district day in and day out,” he said. “We recognize with this approval comes great responsibility to be good stewards of the public funds and we intend to do that.”
Fire Chief Jeff Pawul echoed the sentiment.
“We are honored in the trust and confidence that they have in us. I was very excited to see what the turnout was — it was overwhelming,” he said. “Very thankful for the support that the community has and continues to show for us as their fire district.”
Pawul noted that Captiva is a unique place with unique challenges, explaining that it is vulnerable to severe weather events and has limited access as a barrier island, with increasing service demands.
“Continuing to evolve our services to meet the demands of the community is the direction that we’re headed,” he said. “The community itself, by the turnout of the election, showed that that’s what it wants and expects of us.”
Pawul added that the Rauschenberg property is still a main focus to accomplish their goals.
“That property is obviously still our priority in this project. We’re still hopeful that we can make something work on that property with the owners, whoever they are,” he said. “If it doesn’t, we’re going to look for secondary alternatives to still accomplish our goals for the island.”
Brown noted that they do not think the Rauschenberg deal has successfully concluded yet.
“We’re hopeful that we can still work out some type of transaction. That’s really the only decent property that we, as a board, have discussed,” he said. “I think it’s clear from the results of the election that the community is very supportive of our efforts to secure the property.”
Brown continued that with the referendum’s approval, the funds are now available to pursue a real estate transaction should it present itself, whether the Rauschenberg or something in the future.
Pawul added that if an opportunity does arise, the district is dedicated to continuing to provide open communication and transparency — as always — with the community throughout the process.
“The election basically gave us the support and authority to move forward, but it’s very specific,” he said, adding that they cannot just spend the funds. “The referendum was for the goals we outlined.”
All election results are unofficial until certified.
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ORIGINAL (Feb. 10, 2025):
Island property owners signed off on a referendum that will allow the Captiva Island Fire Control District to issue bond loans for the acquisition and improvement of property for public safety projects.
A Special Election was held today, Feb. 10, for voters in the district’s jurisdiction.
The bond referendum 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 full faith, credit and ad valorem taxing power of the district, for the acquisition and improvement of property needed for fire public safety projects?”
Out of the 237 registered voters eligible to cast a ballot, 106 did — a total voter turnout of 44.73%. According to Lee County Elections, 82 voted in favor of the referendum — 77.36% — and 24 voted against it — 22.64%.
A full article is forthcoming.
To reach TIFFANY REPECKI / trepecki@breezenewspapers.com, please email