Lehigh voters overwhelmingly approved The Lehigh Acres Municipal Services Improvement District’s signage power referendum.

Seventy percent voted in favor of the municipal district assuming authority for the installation and maintenance of outdoor signage, monuments and decorative banners and lights.

“The referendum won by a landslide, which was a great sign by the community. That gave us confidence that the people in Lehigh want organization and want more order in Lehigh,” said District Manager David Lindsay.

According to Lindsay, there was a lot of misinformation about the district’s use of this power and alleged intention to raise taxes.

“We are not going to raise taxes like mentioned by those opposing the referendum and the true control of local signage still falls under the county. We will have to get their final approval on any monument or sign that we intend to put up,” Lindsay said of the Nov. 6 ballot initiative.

The municipal district will now start the process of designing the first welcome sign to the entrance of Lehigh Acres.

“We plan to talk about the budget and design of Lehigh first welcome monument with Tom Rost who designed both our mural in the lobby and a monument sign for Jim Fleming Park located just off Lee Blvd.,” Lindsay said.

The district plans to place the first of three planned monuments on Lee Boulevard as travelers head into Lehigh Acres.

“The monument will read “Welcome to Lehigh” and give reference to the municipal district. We are looking to construct it somewhere along Lee Boulevard inside an island. The next sign will be located on Joel Boulevard approximately two miles approaching State Road 80 (around 23rd and Joel). Then once road construction is completed, a third monument will be placed at the intersection at 82 and Gunner,” said Lindsay. “Each monument will cost about $10,000, with all funding coming from what we received from FDOT and other sources.”

The hope behind the monuments is to give Lehigh Acres more of an identity and sense of community. It’s a step the district feels will eventually attract more nationally recognized restaurants and retail operations.

“The nicer chain restaurants normally look for an area that has a more centralized government,” said Lindsay.

According to Commissioner Mike Welch, who spearheaded the original inter-local agreement between Lee County and the municipal district, the vote in favor of the signage referendum solidifies what local legislators had in mind in regards to its role in Lehigh Acres moving forward.

For information on the signage referendum of current projects, visit the Lehigh Acres Municipal Services Improvement District website at www.myecwcd.net