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Lehigh Acres Streetlighting District has brought the addition of thousands of streetlights at Lehigh Acres intersections, and now plans to expand those efforts to include more than 2,000 streetlights at the end of dead-end streets.

The project is possible due to the Lehigh Acres Streetlighting District, which was created by residents in 1992 as a Municipal Services Taxing/Benefits Unit. Residents within the district pay property taxes to fund the lighting project. The lights are designed and installed by the Lehigh Acres electricity providers, which are Florida Power & Light and Lee County Electric Cooperative.

A map of existing lights and the district boundaries can be found at: leegis.maps.arcgis.com.

Since 2019, the street lighting has focused its efforts on installing about 3,000 lights, mainly on intersections and at school bus stops. That effort will now include dead end streets and, eventually, the addition of lights at some mid-block locations.

“We wanted to provide the residents of Lehigh Acres an update on street lighting efforts and what is next for the community,” Lee County MSTBU Coordinator Josh Malo stated. “The Lee County MSTBU and the Lehigh Acres Special Improvement District wanted to reach as many residents as possible, so we shared this update with the return of seasonal residents. The contact information makes it easy for residents to reach Lee County with any MSTU-related questions.”

The lights typically are installed in right-of-way or utility easements, where they are most effective, cost efficient and consistent with the existing infrastructure. The power companies normally do not have to alert homeowners before installing a light near their property, because the lights are not on private property.

Homeowners can call to make a request to have a light installed near their residence, but final selection will depend on proximity to planned lights and other contributing factors. The light application and additional information can be found at www.leegov.com/budget/mstbu.

To report any malfunctioning lights to the utility companies, take note of the pole number located on the pole and call the company listed on your energy bill. The lights also may be reported to the Lee County MSTBU office at 239-533-2308.