Little Gasparilla Island Advisory Committee

The LGI Advisory Committee meeting is scheduled as follows:

Friday, August 15, 2008 at 1:00 P.M. Cedar Point Environmental Park located at 2300 Placida Road, Englewood, Florida 34224.

LGI Community Plan Executive Summary
Final LGI Community Plan

The LGI Advisory Committee and staff have been working on the final version of the LGI Community Plan. During the August 20, 2007, Advisory Committee meeting, the LGI Advisory Committee voted to recommend approval of the final version of the LGI Community Plan updated on August 20, 2007. The final version of the LGI Community Plan was reviewed and commented by various county departments. HDR Consulting Company is also reviewed the final version of the Community Plan. The final LGI Community Plan is posted on the County website. The Planning & Zoning Board recommended acceptance of the LGI Community Plan on October 8, 2007. On October 16, 2007, the Board of County Commissioners accepted the LGI Community Plan.

History of the LGI Community Plan:

The Little Gasparilla Island Steering Committee was formed after a group of concerned islanders met with Commissioner Horton to ask his help in trying to solve some of the problems facing Little Gasparilla Island. The Little Gasparilla Steering Committee was formed in November, 2002 for the purpose of: evaluating the recommendations of the public and county staff regarding matters affecting Little Gasparilla Island, including such things as emergency medical services, fire suppression services, right-of-way and access issues. The findings were presented to the Board of County Commissioners in March of 2004.

Two public meetings have been held by HDR, Inc. to facilitate the gathering of background information to formulate a vision. The first public meeting was held on Saturday, November 12, 2005, on Little Gasparilla Island at the Chapel. Nearly 100 people participated in a SWOT (Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) exercise for the purpose of identifying those key issues from the position of the stakeholders. The second public meeting was held on Friday, December 9, 2005, from 1-4 p.m. at the Charlotte County Administration Center in Room 119 (County Commission Chambers) located at 18500 Murdock Circle, Port Charlotte, Florida. Based on input collected at the workshops the draft plan will be formulated by the Consultant.

The vision statement that was derived from public input is below:

"Little Gasparilla Island is a pristine piece of old Florida, conveniently located minutes from the mainland and its amenities and services. Quiet, peaceful and uncrowded, Little Gasparilla Island is an informal, yet cooperative, collection of residents who cherish the breathtaking beauty of their unique island home and the easy going lifestyle it fosters. Timeless and enduring, Little Gasparilla Island combines history, nature and individuality to create one of the most endearing places in Florida."

Four Town Hall meetings were held by the LGI Advisory Committee and the County staff for the purpose of soliciting comments from the stakeholders on the LGI Community Plan. Nearly 50 people participated in the first and second meetings, and almost 40 people attended the third and fourth meetings. During the first meeting, three chapters (Chapter 1 Introduction; Chapter 2 Little Gasparilla Island Community Planning Process; Chapter 3 Land Use Element) were discussed. During the second meeting, attended by Commissioner Moore, Chapter 4 Transportation Element, and Chapter 5 Natural Resources and Coastal Planning Element were discussed. During the third meeting, Chapter 6 Infrastructure Element was discussed. During the fourth meeting, two chapters Chapter 7 Community Facilities and Services Elements, Chapter 8 Implementation) were discussed.

For more information contact Jie Shao at 941.743.1272.