Dear Fellow Islanders:
The purpose of this correspondence is to inform our island community of the status of the Upper Captiva Community Panel.
The Upper Captiva Community Panel’s mission from 2012, as stated in the Lee County Plan:
“the north Captiva Community seeks to preserve its character, scale, fragile environment, and way of life by guiding future land use; transportation and roads; conservation and coastal management; Safety Harbor; shore and water quality, water and waste management; open space, recreation, and quality of life; and citizen participation and community education.” The panel engaged the community in the development of the North Captiva community’s amendment to the Lee County Plan.
In December 2014 the community voted in a survey to continue the panel by a margin of 58% to 41%. The 58% vote in support of the continuation of the panel was from a small sample of the island property owners but the case can be made that those who felt strongly one way or the other are the voters. What became clear is that issues will arise going forward, from a natural disaster to issues related to the stated mission of the panel, that may require the panel to coalesce island property owners. However, the panel had some debt and no current issues. The panel decided at the December meeting to attempt to raise funds for the panel and meet again on February 25 at 10:00 a.m. to discuss the future of the panel.
In the February meeting, the question the panel members had to transcend was how to be true to the interests of the majority of respondents in the survey who said the panel should continue and how or why to continue in this period with a dearth of current issues and funds. As you can see in the attached minutes, there was considerable debate about the future of the panel. The concern by those who wanted to maintain the panel’s framework was that when the need for the panel emerges, it will be much easier to reactivate if the panel exists with bylaws and they simply have to call an election. Ultimately a motion was made and seconded to dissolve the panel. That motion failed. A motion was made and seconded to dissolve the corporate registration, put the panel into abeyance and continue the bylaws under the unincorporated panel, which it was initially. The motion also stated that the two appointed members, the UCCA representative and the SHC representative, would be the two continuing members to call an election when the need arises. That motion passed.
This letter should also affirm the 30 day notice of dissolution of the corporate entity as required by the corporate By-laws.
Please know you can email or phone me with questions or concerns: debskinner519@gmail.com or 239-472-2541.
Deb Skinner
March 7, 2015
|
