City to get standing seat on Lee County Tourist Development Council
Legislation expands number of seats including earmark spot for largest municipality
Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed a local bill which will change the makeup of the Lee County Tourist Development Council and its voting members.
The bill, which was introduced by State Rep. Mike Giallombardo (R-79), will increase the number of seats from nine to 11, while changing the way two of the voting members are decided and giving the city of Cape Coral a standing voting seat.
The bill passed the state legislature unanimously.
Under the new law, the two voting seats for municipalities will go from an annual rotation to the two municipalities with the highest population, and the municipality with the most tourism tax revenue.
There will still be a rotating voting seat for an elected representative from one of the county’s other four municipalities.
Currently, the nine voting seats of the TDC are composed of three elected officials, three representatives from accommodations collecting the tourist tax and three representatives from tourism-related industries. One of the elected officials is the rotating chair of the Lee County Board of County Commissioners, currently Commissioner Cecil Pendergrass.
The other two elected officials are from two of the county’s six municipalities. Presently, those seats are held by Cape Coral Councilmember Bill Steinke and city of Fort Myers Councilmember Liston Bochette.
With Cape Coral having the largest population of any of the municipalities in the county, the city will now gain a permanent voting seat on the TDC. County officials were not immediately able to identify which municipality generates the most tourism tax revenue currently.
Giallombardo, who represents Cape Coral in the State House, did not return a message seeking comment.
In 2022, the Lee County Board of County Commissioners voted to add four ex-officio nonvoting seats to allow each of the municipalities a seat on the TDC. These four non-voting ex-officio seats are currently comprised of Bonita Springs. Estero, Fort Myers Beach and Sanibel. Sanibel Chamber of Commerce CEO John Lai also holds an ex-officio seat.
The Lee Board of County Commissioners recently reappointed Pink Shell Beach Resort General Manager Bill Waichulis and Cabbage Key and Tarpon Lodge President Rob Wells to four-year terms on the TDC.
They are joined by tourism industry representatives Jay Johnson, Pamela Cronin, Brian Kramer and Tony Lapi as voting members. Fran Myers, of Fort Myers Beach, is an ex-officio emeritus, non-voting member.
Steinke said the new legislation will return a permanent voting seat for Cape Coral, which the city previously enjoyed until the makeup of the council was changed in 2013.
Steinke said the city of Cape Coral Council pushed for the new change.
“The city has grown,” Steinke said. “We’re grateful that was looked at by our local delegation of state representatives.”
The new law takes effect on July 1.
To reach NATHAN MAYBERG, please email nmayberg@breezenewspapers.com