FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:  Pete Winton, Lee County Administration
               (239) 335-2777

BOARD DECLARES EMERGENCY FOR CAUSEWAY DRAWBRIDGE AND ACCEPTS STUDY/PROJECT BYPASSED FOR STATE LOAN

FORT MYERS, Fla. (November 18, 2003) - The Board of Lee County Commissioners today approved the following items during its regular weekly meeting. They are:

Emergency Declaration - Approved a resolution declaring an emergency exists relative to the condition of the Sanibel Causeway drawbridge. The declaration allows the county to expedite permitting through the U.S. Coast Guard to replace the bridge. The real time savings comes with the county being able to apply for the permit almost immediately, before the final design is completed. Application usually is required only until final design is nearly complete. The county adopted similar emergency resolutions earlier this year for the B and C fixed Causeway spans. While the bridge is in need of replacement, the emergency declaration does not mean it is unsafe to motorists and the bridge continues to receive monthly inspections.

Commissioners also accepted the environmental assessment and final recommendation of consulting engineers Post, Buckley, Schuh and Jernigan to replace the drawbridge with a 70-foot fixed span. The entire environmental assessment can be viewed at the county DOT offices. A summary will be provided on the county's web site.

Commissioners also received an update of the funding for the Causeway bridges project. The county had applied for a State Infrastructure Bank low-interest loan of $25 million to help fund the project. The state did not approve that loan. To make the bond financing work, the county will remove the Summerlin overpass at San Carlos Boulevard ($8.1 million) from the bond funding and look for alternative funding sources for that project. The bond amount would be reduced from $55.4 million to $47.3 million.

Patriot Act - Unanimously agreed to send a letter to the federal government expressing concerns that some sections of the U.S.A. Patriot Act may infringe on the Bill of Rights and supporting the process, currently being undertaken in the Courts and Congress, to revise or amend sections as necessary. See the full text of the letter at the end of this release.

Renourishment Project - Approved a $1.66 million contract with Lake Michigan Contractors for the Bonita Beach Renourishment Project with a seven-month completion time. The action provides a contractor for the nearshore excavation of approximately 144,000 cubic yards of beach compatible sand from the Big Carlos Pass ebb shoal, and the placement of the material along approximately 3,900 feet of the Bonita Beach shorefront between FDEP monuments R226+50' to R-230 (including taper sections). The project includes the excavation, transportation, placement and grading of sand. The project also includes the planting of vegetation and the placement of pedestrian access points along the dune, as well as site restoration at the completion of project construction.

Cellular 911 - Approved the $99,000 purchase of software and licenses for mapping technology at the Cape Coral Police Department necessary to locate cellular 9-1-1 callers in Cape Coral. The county also has approved funding in the past year for this technology to be integrated with the Computer Aided Dispatch systems of Lee Control (fire/EMS) and the Lee County Sheriff's Office 9-1-1 centers.

Utilities Expansion - Approved an agreement with Johnson Engineering to provide professional engineering and related services for the expansion of the Corkscrew Water Treatment Plant from 10 million gallons a day to 15 million gallons a day. The contract is for $820,74 and includes the test wells phase, surveying phase, easement acquisition phase, preliminary design phase, final design phase, geotechnical, permitting and construction phase services.

TEXT OF PATRIOT ACT LETTER

TO: President George W. Bush

The United States Senate

The United States House of Representatives

Attorney General John Ashcroft

RE: PATRIOT ACT

Dear Public Servants:

There has been much debate, discussion and dissertation concerning the Patriot Act. We realize that the Patriot Act was passed immediately following the September 11th attack so as to keep Americans secure and safe. We understand it is the federal government's responsibility to fight global terrorism and keep American citizens free from harm.

We are, however, concerned deeply with some of the details of the Patriot Act. We are concerned that some of the actual words and implementations of the Patriot Act might actually violate some of the Bill of Rights. We are specifically concerned with the possible violations of privacy, violations of private property, secret courts, sneak and peek, the lack of habeas corpus and in general we are concerned about a shadowy, unchallengeable police state. The scenario of "big brother" and "1984" could be chilling.

We know that all of you are trying your best to both protect us and keep us free. We believe this can be done without violating basic tenants of our Bill of Rights. We are humbly but passionately asking all of you as public servants and as protectors of the United States Constitution, to please make sure the Patriot Act is true to our constitution and if it is not, change immediately those provisions of the Patriot Act that violate our historical freedoms and our civil liberties.

Respectfully Submitted,

The Lee County Board of Commissioners

Chairman John Albion _______________________________

Vice Chairman Doug St. Cerny _______________________________

Member Robert Janes _______________________________

Member Ray Judah _______________________________

Member Andrew W. Coy _______________________________