Charlotte Assembly 2007 -  County Commissioners have formally established the Assembly Steering Committee to begin organizing the community visioning process.  The County has held three Assemblies in the past (96, 98 and 01) each of which has directed changes in county government and established parameters for the quality of life that our citizens expect.  The Steering Committee will meet regularly throughout the next few months to develop the discussion topics and to nominate citizens to participate in the Charlotte Assembly 2007 three-day summer session.

Charlotte Event Center Moves Forward - The site of the former Memorial Auditorium, which was destroyed in Hurricane Charley, came one step closer to welcoming a new facility.  The County has been communicating with FEMA for several months regarding set-backs from the water and velocity zones for the reconstruction.  FEMA has recently determined that they will relocate the current velocity zone outside of the desired building construction area.  This will allow the new building to be located close to the harbor to take advantage of the spectacular view.  In the meantime, the County has been moving forward with the design phase and has welcomed considerable community input.  The Event Center plans will be discussed further at the joint  City-County Meeting scheduled for 9:00 a.m. on March 2 at the Murdock Administrative Complex.

County Receives Final Insurance Payment - The County has accepted final payment for their insurance claim, as a result of Hurricane Charley damages. On August 13, 2004 the County Government experienced loss of, or damage to, 126 buildings. During the last two years the County has collected documentation, repaired or rebuilt facilities and met with insurance representatives regularly.  The final amount of the insurance claim was $47.4 million.  To date the County has received $40 million for insurance proceeds and paid a $1 million deductible.  the County will receive a final payment in the amount of $6.4 million.  The County has expended $116,258,925 for hurricane recovery.  this included repairs to County and airport facilities, replacement construction, temporary operations, as well as debris removal.  Reimbursements from insurance, FEMA, FDOT, State aid and other miscellaneous resources equal $110,098,974.  The additional costs not being reimbursed were funds used to harden the new facilities to withstand future hurricanes.

Updated Scrub Jay Information -   The Florida Scrub-jay, a protected species, can have significant impact on land development.   In an effort to assist Charlotte County residents and property owners to identify potential impacts to the Florida Scrub-jay,  the County had developed, in cooperation with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), a Florida Scrub-jays GIS map depicting known scrub jay red and yellow habitat zones. 

The USFWS and the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) have been, with increasing frequency, identifying scrub-jays inhabiting areas outside of the red and yellow zones.  The USFWS has determined and informed the County, that the GIS map depicting red and yellow zones is no longer an effective nor a proper tool to protect the Florida Scrub-jay. As a result, the USFW has created a system that identifies the documented locations where Scrub-jays are found through-out Charlotte County.  This new system has replaced the County GIS red and yellow map.   The USFWS has noted that this method will remove some properties found in the red and yellow zones from USFWS review process, but this system will now include documented scrub-jay properties that were not identified through the red and yellow zone map system.  USFWS has estimated that this system will reduce approximately 24% of individual residential lots from the review process.  This new data set search engine is available on the Charlotte County Government website along with other Scrub-jay information.

Learn More About County Services - The County website now offers a variety of original videos that offer important information on County services.  Check out our On Demand Video Library. All videos are produced by CCTV20, Charlotte County's Government Channel, a division of the Communications & Marketing Department.

CCU  Expands Hours at Customer Service Locations -  Charlotte County Utilities (CCU) has expanded office hours at it's customer service locations.  CCU's office at the EastPort Environmental Campus, 25550 Harbor View Road, Port Charlotte is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.  CCU's Englewood Annex office at 6868 San Casa Drive is now also open on Fridays.  Hours are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with the office being closed daily from noon to 1 p.m.  For more information visit the County website or call CCU's Port Charlotte office at 941.764.4300.

County Construction Updates  -  The County is currently working on 40 or more projects relating to hurricane recovery and facilities expansion.  The following projects are just a brief sample:

• Oyster Creek Regional Park - Expected to be complete the first part of May

• County Courthouse Renovations (Punta Gorda) - Construction underway; expected completion in October 2007.

• Public Safety Building (EOC & Fire/EMS Services) - Construction underway with completion expected by June 1st

• Bayshore Live Oak Park - Permits received from the Army Corps of Engineers and construction started February 1.  Construction is expected to take 18-20 months

• Public Works Maintenance & Operations Facility - Construction in progress; expected to be completed by March

• Human Services Facility - New facility on Loveland Blvd.; currently in design phase with construction expected to break ground in May

COMMUNITY EVENTS

Affordable Housing Resource Fair - Do you know someone who needs an affordable place to live? The Resource Fair offers seminars, rental opportunities and rental assistance. Join us at the Family Services Center, corner of Gibraltar Drive & Easy Street in Port Charlotte, Saturday, March 17 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.  For more information call 941.505.4884.

Middle School Dances - Dances are being held on the 1st and 3rd Friday of each month for students in grades 6-8 at the Harold Avenue Recreation Center.  Participants will have the opportunity to socialize with friends, participate in contests with prizes and dance to the music!  Concessions will be available, admission is $5.00.  A dance ID card is required to enter the dances and can be obtained free of charge at the Harold Avenue Recreation Center, 23400 Harold Avenue, Port Charlotte.  For further information call 941.627.1074.

Charlotte Harbor Kayak and Wildlife Festival - Mark your calendar for March 24 & 25 at the Port Charlotte Beach Park.  Enjoy kayak races, kayak tours, wildlife seminars, workshops and music, food and vendors.  For more information call  1.800.652.6090.

MEETINGS

Code Enforcement Board  - March 7, 9:00 a.m., Room #119, Murdock Administrative Complex, 18500 Murdock Circle, Port Charlotte.  Meetings can also be viewed live on CCTV, Comcast Channel 20, or viewed live on-line.

Charlotte Assembly 2007 Steering Committee - March 14, 3:00 p.m., Room 106, Building B, Murdock Administrative Complex, 18500 Murdock Circle, Port Charlotte.

Charlotte County Board of County Commissioners holds its regular meeting at 9:00 a.m. on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month.  Land use issues are addressed on the third Tuesday and Administrator's Overview is held on the first Tuesday of each month. These meetings are held at the Murdock Administrative Complex, Room #119.

To view the agenda for the Board meetings click here: Commission Agenda.  The meetings can also be viewed live on CCTV20, (Comcast Channel 20) or can be viewed via live stream on our website - Streaming Video 

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A variety of government meetings are archived for on-demand viewing. Check out our inventory here: On Demand Video

Charlotte County has dozens of official meetings and activities each month.  For an itemized listing click here: Meeting Calendars

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