The Lehigh Acres Community Council held its yearly elections last Monday, and brought on new council members.

Lee County Commissioner Frank Mann swore in three elected board members: Cydyl Ayala, Donato Colucci, and Vanessa Ouimette.

The board also held an election to reestablish the various seats on its board.

Council President Chuck Edwards discussed an agenda item related to the Lehigh Acres Fire Control and Rescue District’s then-upcoming Dec.10 meeting. Edwards is on the agenda and will speak for the council in regards to a recent union contract renegotiation.

“Following that meeting, we will come back to discuss whether or not to follow up with our plan for a recall action,” Edwards said.

The council also announced its guest speakers for the months of January and February.

“Our speaker for next month is Lance Whistler from Voters Registration. He will speak more in regards to the State of Florida passing legislation that gives the right to vote back to people with criminal records,” Edwards said.

Another agenda item for January will be on the building of “tiny homes” and container homes in Lehigh Acres. Recently the issue has caused quite a bit of debate in the community.

“We are currently looking for someone who knowledgeable about the design and building of these types of homes to come in and speak on the subject,” Edwards said.

According to Edwards, the debate over small homes brings up another issue facing Lehigh Acres; a need to have control over local zoning so that predetermined areas can be selected for these types of communities.

In February, the council will host guest speaker, Lee County Manager Roger Desjarlais.

“Desjarlais will talk about what the county is doing for Lehigh Acres this year and how our money is being utilized,” Edwards said.

Edwards wanted to thank a local commissioner for his work and dedication to the community.

“We want to thank Lee County Commissioner Frank Mann who was instrumental in having Roger come to speak during our meeting. He is someone who overlooked for just how much he does for this community,” Edwards said.

Council members have also begun to record the meetings of the Lehigh Acres Municipal District and Lehigh Acres Fire Control and Rescue District in an attempt to better inform the community.

“We think people should be able to stay on top of what’s happening in our community, and many of them are not able to make it to these meetings,” Edwards said.

During the evening Vice-president Tyler Woodby made a few announcements.

“The council now offers a live-streaming of our meetings. We are also in the process of coordinating a food truck rally at Veterans Park,” Woodby said. “We have quite a few things coming up. So far, we scheduled a Blood mobile for Saturday, Jan. 11, inside Veterans Park near the dog park, and are planning a candidate forum, a candidate debate, and a candidate car wash. The dates and time are still to be determined.”

The Lehigh Acres Community Council’s meetings are open to the public and are held on the first Monday of each month at 6 p.m. in the meeting room at the LCSO East District substation, at 1301 Homestead Road N. For more information on the council’s upcoming events visit www.facebook.com/LehighAcresCommunityCouncil/