The Lee County School Board this week began the conversation of its legislative priorities, which includes three “asks” in business and finance to address post Hurricane Ian recovery efforts.

The post Hurricane Ian recovery legislative requests, which have not been approved yet, include a “special allocation to provide state funding in replacement of up to 100 percent of loss of property tax funding due to hurricane impacts.”

In addition, the request also includes a “special allocation to provide funding to mitigate the issuance and interest costs associated with a line of credit made necessary because of the delay in the receipt of property tax revenues due to the impact of the hurricane.”

The last request is to request “to increase the total project cost threshold of construction projects that require professional services on a continuing contract, from a limit of $4,000,000 to a limit of $15,000,000 for Hurricane Ian related recovery projects.”

Robert Stewart with Gray Robinson, P.A., said there are a host of issues that Florida’s legislators are going to have to deal with.

“Our ask, Lee County is in a very unique and important position coming into the legislative session due to the impacts from Hurricane Ian. We have the standard legislature asks,” Stewart said, adding that there is also an education aspect of quality and taking care of the kids. “You also have the added challenge of the storm and the very real and present need coming out of that.”

Other 2023 legislative priorities include increasing student achievement, safety, teacher certification and retention and school facilities’ utilization.

Stewart said leadership has talked about property insurance and property tax issues. He said housing is a key issue they want to see this year with a lot of focus on infrastructure. There is a new committee in the House for infrastructure, Stewart said, as well as a fiscal policy committee created in the Senate.

“There will be another budget surplus this year,” he said. “That will be impacted heavily by the storm. There is significant dollars that goes into infrastructure rehab, hardening, resiliency and repairs from the storm. The state is going to have a surplus even with that. To be in the position that Lee County is in right now to ask for significant funds. We are standing ready and excited to get to work alongside you as we begin a new legislature year.”

School Board Chair Armor Persons said he recently attended a round table discussion with the House majority leader and the head of Commerce, as well as the Cape Coral mayor and some Lee County commissioners.

“They were very much aware of our needs,” he said, adding that the discussion enabled him to share the district’s needs. “The one thing they did say was this was going to be a multi-year recovery.”

Persons said he believes the legislature’s ask is a very good one, as it also mentions specifically the labor force with technology. He said Florida probably has the only governor in the United States that is pushing the fact that you do not have to go to college to be a success.