To the editor:

As chairman of the Lehigh Acres Municipal Services Improvement District Board of Commissioners, I would like to thank the elected officials, government representatives, local businesses, community organizations and residents who attended Lehigh Acres MSID’s dedication ceremony on Wednesday, August 26.

On Wednesday, June 10, Gov. Rick Scott signed (HB1255) Chapter 2015-202 into law. This action transferred all of the special acts, property, obligations, and liabilities of the 57-year-old, East County Water Control District to the newly created Lehigh Acres MSID. Lehigh Acres MSID is a multi-county Chapter 189 District created by the state to provide drainage and flood control; conservation and mitigation; irrigation; navigation; and limited parks services to Lehigh and western Hendry.

The dedication ceremony provided an opportunity to celebrate the creation of the district and to educate our community about the work our commissioners and staff accomplish. During the ceremony, we were honored to welcome remarks from State Rep. Matt Caldwell, State Rep. Matt Hudson and State Sen. Garrett Richter. Lee County Commissioners Brian Hamman, Frank Mann and Cecil Pendergrass were in attendance, along with Lee County Attorney Richard Wesch. Hamman presented Lehigh Acres MSID with a proclamation on behalf of the Lee County Board of County Commissioners and Mann, District 5, spoke of Lehigh Acres’ growth over the years. School Board District 5 representative Pamela LaRiviere and Lehigh Acres Fire and Rescue Commissioner Larry Becker also attended.

More than 70 guests attended as we conducted a ceremonial ribbon cutting to represent the new chapter in our agency’s history. During the ceremony, Lehigh Acres MSID’s new building sign was revealed featuring a new, agency logo. The agency’s newly adopted logo unites design aspects of ECWCD’s logo as a nod to our history, while also introducing new elements to encompass the agency’s dedication to the community and the environment. The logo was designed in-house by staff member Tom Rost.

The dedication ceremony was made possible through dedication of our staff and the generosity of our sponsors: Caldwell, AIM Engineering and Surveying, Caldwell Pacetti Edwards Schoech & Viator, Nathan Stout, Kenneth K. Thompson, Mirror Lakes Golf Club, Robert Bowers Accounting, Commissioner David Deetscreek, Building Industry Issues of Southwest Florida, Commissioner Mike Welch, and Jack Veahly, who has been in the food store business for years.

In my 15 years of service on the board of commissioners, the board and staff have been dedicated to preserving and managing natural and community resources by providing: safe, reliable, and high?quality services to its constituents in an environmentally and financially responsible manner and will continue this mission as the newly formed Lehigh Acres MSID.

Thank you to our community for their support and to all of our partners for making this a successful event.

Nathan Stout

Chairman

Lehigh Acres MSID Board of Commissioners