Charlotte County commissioners are expected to face a packed meeting room Jan. 13 as residents seek answers about how the county plans to meet growing demand for potable water and wastewater treatment amid rapid population growth.
The Board of County Commissioners’ regular meeting begins at 9 a.m. at the Charlotte County Administration Building, followed by a presentation from Charlotte County Utilities expected around 2 p.m. The utilities presentation will include discussion of a proposed new rate schedule tied to expansion projects. County officials anticipate heavy attendance and may need to open an overflow room.
Residents along the Burnt Store Road corridor, members of the Burnt Store Corridor Coalition and others concerned about growth and infrastructure planning are expected to attend. A resident who plans to announce his candidacy for the District 2 commission seat currently held by Commissioner Chris Constance also is expected to be present.
Charlotte County’s population has increased faster than officials originally projected, driven in part by migration during the pandemic and the region’s relative affordability. That growth has placed additional strain on water, wastewater and reclaimed water systems, prompting the county to pursue expansion projects to serve existing and future households.
Residents along Burnt Store Road have been among the most vocal critics of how the county has managed growth. They argue that large residential developments have been approved without sufficient commercial services or supporting infrastructure, leaving residents dependent on long drives for basic needs. Those concerns have been raised repeatedly at commission meetings by coalition members representing more than a dozen communities in the corridor.
Tensions over infrastructure planning have also spilled into a broader dispute between the county and the city of Punta Gorda. City officials are opposing proposed state legislation that would shift responsibility for providing potable water to customers outside Punta Gorda city limits from the city’s utilities department to Charlotte County Utilities.
Punta Gorda leaders argue the county has not adequately planned for future growth and that transferring roughly one-third of the city’s utility customers to the county would shift revenue needed for infrastructure investment away from the city. City officials have said the change would leave Punta Gorda with a significant loss of utility revenue while giving the county additional income to address what one city official described as a funding shortfall.
State Rep. Vanessa Oliver, who drafted the Punta Gorda Utility District Boundary Codification and Utility Transfer Act, addresses the Charlotte County Legislative Delegation during its Dec. 17 meeting.
Charlotte County government
County commissioners have paused their decision on whether to support the proposed legislation, drafted by state Rep. Vanessa Oliver, which would transfer service for customers outside city limits to the county.
Among the sharpest critics of the county’s growth strategy is Burnt Store Corridor Coalition co-founder John Fleming, who has argued that the county has failed to raise impact fees charged on new development for years. He said developers have benefited from some of the lowest impact fees in the state, while residents are left paying higher utility rates to fund needed system expansions.
Impact fees are intended to help pay for future infrastructure, including treatment plants, pump stations and larger pipes required to serve new development. Critics say relying on rate increases instead places the financial burden on existing customers.
Fleming and other coalition members also have pointed to continued approval of new planned communities along Burnt Store Road despite what they see as a lack of commercial development and infrastructure in the area.
“After four years, residents feel their concerns were ignored, and the county is worse off than when the coalition first formed,” Fleming said.
Fleming, a Burnt Store Lakes resident, plans to attend the Jan. 13 meeting and is running against Constance in this year’s election for the District 2 commission seat.
A 28-year public servant, Fleming retired as a detective with the Manhattan district attorney’s office in New York City. He said he did not initially plan to run for office but decided to do so after being encouraged by coalition members and other residents. Fleming said that being an outsider “is a strength, not a weakness.”
The Charlotte County Commission meeting will take place in Room 119 of the Charlotte County Administration Building at 18500 Murdock Circle in Port Charlotte.