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South County Regional Library patrons will be able to pick up materials being held for them as the Lee County Library System starts contactless, curbside pickup on April 29. The library is located at 21100 Three Oaks Parkway. To use contactless, curbside pickup, patrons with holds available for pick up can drive to the main entrance of the library, stay in their car, and call the telephone number provided on the signs at the location. The staff member who answers will ask the patron for their library card number, check out their materials and bring them out to the designated [...]

The Lee County Board of County Commissioners voted to re-open county parks and preserves including all beaches and beach access points, parking lots and free-standing bathrooms. Staff will be onsite to help encourage following the CDC guidelines, including social distancing. Parks and preserves will open with regular hours Wednesday, April 29. This is part of the county’s phased-in approach for residents while still observing the Governor’s Executive Order. Commissioners offered guidelines and stressed it is imperative that residents remain vigilant to continue to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. The county beach sites include: Beach Parks Bonita Beach Park Bowditch Point [...]

The Village of Estero would like to acknowledge a major step toward protecting the environment of Florida, particularly Southwest Florida. On Friday, the Army Corps of Engineers signed off on a permit to build a 6,500-acre marsh south of Lake Okeechobee, and the South Florida Water Management District had their construction crews at the site on Monday. When completed, the marsh will work together with a 10,100-acre reservoir the Corps is building in the same area to filter the water before it moves south into the Everglades. Together, they form the Everglades Agricultural Area Reservoir. The marsh is expected to [...]

School facilities The Lee County School District has determined that a new elementary school and a new middle school are necessary in the Estero area due to the growing population. They are seeking Council’s consensus on the best location to place these schools, which they plan to have operational by 2023. Two sites were under consideration: a 76-acre Three Oaks Parkway site which is owned by the School District and a 15-acre site adjacent to the Estero High School off of Williams Road and Via Coconut Point. If neither of these sites were to be selected, the school district would [...]

As seasonally dry conditions continue in Lee County, residents are encouraged to conserve water where they can and to limit lawn irrigation in accordance with the Lee County year-round water conservation ordinance. The ordinance must be followed, regardless of a home or business' water source. Conserving now during the dry season will help protect declining groundwater levels throughout the county. Groundwater conditions should improve with the onset of rainy season, which normally commences in June. However, the increase in usage because of drier-than-normal conditions combined with additional demand from the “Safer At Home” Executive Order has led to short-term stress on [...]

As the Coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to affect our community and beyond, Lee Health wants to keep you up to date on the many ways Lee Telehealth or scheduled MyChart Video Visits can serve your family’s health care needs. Lee Telehealth is an on demand virtual care visit that allows patients to connect to a physician from the comfort of their own home. Use your smart phone, tablet or computer to download the Lee Telehealth app here or sign up online by visiting wwww.leetelehealth.org. Physicians are available 24/7 to treat minor conditions such as cold and flu, sinus infections, rashes, pink eye, [...]

The Florida League of Cities (FLC) has recognized Mayor Bill Ribble with a 2020 Home Rule Hero Award. Ribble earned this prestigious award for his tireless efforts throughout the 2020 legislative session to promote local voices making local choices, protect the Home Rule powers of Florida’s municipalities and advance the League’s legislative agenda. This is the third year in a row Ribble has been honored with this award. The FLC stated in a letter, “Your outspoken protection for municipal home rule preparing for and during the legislative session is an inspiration and a model for municipal officials statewide. Efforts such [...]

On April 1, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed Executive Order 20-91 outlining a safer-at-home policy for Floridians. The order took effect Friday, April 3 at 12:01 a.m. and will last until Thursday, April 30, unless it’s necessary to be extended. This restrictive order places a limit on the movement of all Florida citizens.  Staying at home is critical to the further spread of COVID-19 in our community; adhering to this order will help save lives. Residents are asked to limit their movements and personal interactions outside of their home to only those necessary to obtain or provide essential services or conduct essential [...]

          The Village of Estero has compiled the most recent daily updates from the State of Florida, Lee County and the Village of Estero.  This compilation provides updates from the governmental perspective.  The information provided below was developed by our partner agencies for public consumption. Village of Estero Update Village Hall has closed the public lobbies as of 5:00 p.m., Monday, March 23. We will still be accepting online applications, records requests, requests for action related to roads and landscaping, and general inquiries. Our phone lines will remain open and we will have available a dropbox [...]

Estero Updates for Wednesday, March 25, 2020: Health Data Global Confirmed Cases: 441, 187 (19,675 deaths) S. Confirmed Cases: 55,568 (802 deaths) Florida Confirmed Cases: 1,682 (22 deaths) Lee County Confirmed Cases: 30 (3 deaths) Estero Confirmed Cases: 2 (0 deaths)   CDC Practice “social distancing” by remaining at least 6 feet from others Limit gatherings to 10 people or less   Lee County Conservation 20/20 and preserve lands remain open.  Residents are encouraged to go for a hike here, while maintaining recommended social distancing, to reduce stress.   Lee County School District Facebook Town hall meeting about distance learning: [...]