The first two weeks of September have been super busy and I have much to share. So stick with me and think “squirrel!”

With respect to the current COVID impact, we shifted the start date for our Leadership Program from September 15 to October 6. There is still time to join our class if you are interested. We are bringing in new ideas this year and I believe you would enjoy the program. Here is a link to the application.
In our community…

With the U.S. Census complete, it is time to start the redistricting process. Florida law requires each county to examine the need to redistrict every 10 years following the U.S. Census. Members of the Lee Board of County Commissioners (Lee BoCC) are elected by voters countywide, but are seated according to five districts in which they reside.  

The goal of redistricting is to readjust the population between commission districts so that no commission district includes substantially more individual residents than the others. If commission district boundary adjustments are needed, Lee County can make such changes during an odd-numbered year. Given the late release of U.S. Census data this year, the normal 10-month process will be condensed to about four months. 

Lee BoCC announced the schedule for public meetings at which the community can provide input on the redistricting process, and launched a website landing page to provide data, maps, information and transparency throughout the process.  

Four public meetings, including three public hearings, are planned as part of the redistricting process as part of regularly scheduled meetings of the Board of County Commissioners, which begin at 9:30 a.m. at the Old Lee County Courthouse, 2120 Main St., Fort Myers, FL 33922: 

  • Tuesday, Oct. 5 – Public hearing to review preliminary map options 
  • Tuesday, Nov. 2 – Public hearing to review map options 
  • Tuesday, Nov. 16 – Public hearing to adopt new map 
  • Tuesday, Dec. 7 – Item on the Lee Board of County Commissioners agenda to certify for transmission to the Florida Secretary of State 

Residents also are encouraged to sign up for Lee County’s newsletter by visiting www.leegov.com and clicking on the envelope icon. Recipients receive meeting notices with agenda links and other information. Following Lee County Government on Facebook also provides updates. 

What we can expect…

The redistricting affects the 2022 election where all State positions will be on the ballot. There is also a potential for more than 30 Constitutional Amendments to be included on the ballot as well. The Florida Chamber shared some interesting facts that about some changes in voting. Since 2018, there are 2 million new registered voters in Florida and they are largely “NPA” – no political affiliation. They also shared that voting methods have completely changed with the 2020 election. The voters under 40 will have a large influence and how they view free enterprise will impact elections. We will keep you informed as our Member Advocacy Committee reviews relevant issues and plan an event closer to the election to updates and more.  
FutureMakers Coalition completed the 2020 / 2021 Southwest Florida Educational and Workforce Outcomes Report. I often share articles and reports that I think you might find of interest. But this one, is about our community and is relevant to our future workforce. I also normally share highlights but there is simply too much good information to break it down into a few notes. Take the time… it will be worth it. Here is a link to access the report.
As a member of the Lee County Tourist Development Council, I am lucky enough to attend the Florida Governor’s Conference on Tourism. Dana Young, President & CEO of Visit Florida shared updates from the past year: 

  • Florida was the only state to market outside for 7 months  
  • Visit Florida marketed the West Coast for the first time  
  • Visitation this year is 220% over 2020 and 6% over 2019 
  • Hotel demand exceeded 2019 levels 12 out of the last 13 weeks in Florida compared to 1 out of the last 13 weeks nationally 
  • Visitor spend in Florida is up compared to the downward trend nationally 

From a panel (Roger Dow, Chris Tompson, Don Welsh):

  • Changes in standards in the hospitality industry were made due to COVID and they won’t go back to pre-COVID. 
  • COVID forced legacy changes with the way we do business.
  • Every week we don’t bring back the international EU travel is a loss of 1.5 billion dollars and 10,000 jobs nationally. 
  • Leisure business has been great but short term, we need to get business travel back. 
  • The hospitality industry needs to show to travelers that they know what they are doing when it comes to meetings & events.
As you know we held our Inaugural SWFL Craft Beer Week over Labor Day weekend – and I believe it was a huge success. Our local breweries - Coastal Dayz Brewery, Crazy Dingo Brewing Company, Fort Myers Brewing Company, Millennial Brewing Company, Palm City Brewing Company, Point Ybel Brewing Company, and Riptide Brewing Company - really stepped up and put on an incredible event!

The Beer Week included barrel-aged beers, a parking lot turned into a beer garden, a Norman Love chocolate & beer pairing, a world tour, a “hazy” day and sours paired with pastries, and much more. We have some serious talent here and it was all showcased. HeadPinz started us off with a VIP event, with all the breweries attending, and the weekend closed on Sanibel at “Bikes & Brews” at Matzaluna.  To see pics from the events, check out the Chamber's Facebook and Instagram pages.

I need to say “Thank You” to local craft beer influencer, Ashleigh, a.k.a. the Craft Brewnette (instagram.com/thecraftbrewnette) and her invited guest, Heather, the Malty Maiden (instagram.com/maltymaiden). They showcased our area and event through their 36,000 combined followers on Instagram. 

And what rounded out an already incredible weekend was that Elizabeth came in from Missouri for a few days! Couldn’t ask for anything more. 

I hope you are all staying safe.

-Colleen